A public dispute has erupted between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Sean Duffy, the acting administrator of NASA, over the US space agency’s lunar-exploration plans. Duffy recently stated that SpaceX is “behind” schedule on developing its lunar lander for the Artemis III mission, and announced that NASA would invite bids from other companies to keep the mission on track.

In response, Musk criticised Duffy sharply on social media is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry,” he wrote, and joked that Duffy was “trying to kill NASA”.  Duffy, meanwhile, emphasised that the US is “in a race against China” and that NASA needs “the best companies to operate at a speed that gets us to the Moon first.”

The skirmish exposes deeper issues about NASA’s management strategy and its reliance on private contractors like SpaceX. With the Artemis mission already facing technical and scheduling hurdles, the added strain of this leadership conflict could complicate the effort. Analysts say that how NASA resolves its relationships with commercial partners will be key to the success of its next-generation lunar program.