Musk Attacks Duffy as NASA Opens Lander Competition

Acting NASA administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced NASA will invite other companies to compete for Artemis III lunar-lander work, saying the agency will not rely on a single provider as it seeks to accelerate the timeline and beat China amid delays to SpaceX’s Starship. Reports say Duffy has discussed folding NASA into the Department of Transportation, raising concerns about agency independence and leadership structure. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded on X with personal attacks—calling Duffy “Sean Dummy,” running a poll questioning his fitness and saying the person running the program “can’t have a 2‑digit IQ”—while defending Starship and criticizing rivals such as Blue Origin. NASA officials said a formal request for faster lander concepts is coming soon and Duffy framed competition as a way to speed the moon effort. The exchange highlights growing political and procurement tensions over the Artemis timeline, and reports say Jared Isaacman is being discussed as a potential Trump administration nominee favored by Musk.