Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, is once again in rampage mode, this time targeting Sean Duffy, the acting head of NASA.
On October 21, local time, Elon Musk posted a series of posts on platform X calling Duffy a “Fool” and accusing him of “Destroying NASA.”, “The man in charge of America’s space programme can not have an IQ in the double digits,” he says with naked contempt.
This isn’t over, musk continues to put out: “Can a man whose greatest achievement is simply climbing trees manage America’s space program?” He even offers two options for answering this question: “Yes, the ape has the best [ tree-climbing ] skills!” and“No, he needs more brains!” This is obviously a mockery of the acting director who used to be a professional lumberjack.
The number one troll in Silicon Valley, with a post worthy of a pea shooter.
After months of silence, why is musk talking trash again? What did Duffy do wrong?
On October 20, local time, NASA’s Acting Administrator Duffy publicly stated that SpaceX’s“Starship” spacecraft was behind schedule and that NASA would resume the bidding for a manned mission to the moon, other companies, including Bessus’s blue origins, were invited to compete.
That’s not true. As the founder of SpaceX, Musk would never allow NASA to restart its bid for a manned moon mission. After all, SpaceX won the contract for the Artemis 3 mission to the Moon back in April 2021, and now that NASA is looking for an excuse to restart the bidding, it’s a slap in the face for Musk?
It’s a wonder musk doesn’t jump.
As for the opening comment that musk is“Once again” in“Berserker Mode,” of course, it’s not the first time he’s made a snide comment.
Just five months ago, Musk, who had fallen out with Donald Trump over the big and Beautiful Act, unleashed a barrage of posts on social media site x attacking the act and its supporters, and left the US government in a huff.
Since then, Musk has been quiet on the internet for a long time.
You think Elon Musk changed? No Way! He had a big one, and this time it went straight to“Rage Mode Plus.”.
See, on October 22, Elon Musk continued to “Bombard” Duffy that “Having a NASA administrator who knows nothing about rockets or spacecraft would undermine the American space program and endanger our astronauts.”. “I’m not endorsing any particular candidate for NASA director. I’m just looking for someone with a triple-digit IQ.”.
Well, here’s the thing!
“Not for any particular candidate”? Then why is Musk singing and dancing?
There’s no silver lining here.
By now, the conspiracy behind the dispute has been revealed. What appears to be a technical dispute is actually a naked power struggle.
Indeed, Duffy’s sudden and high-profile announcement of the resumption of the bidding for the Moon mission was less a publicity stunt than a performance for “One man”– President Donald Trump.
In an interview with the media on the 20th, Duffy said publicly that, donald Trump “Wants the United States to return to the moon and establish a base there before the end of his current term, which is 1,186 days away, so we’re going to open the contract.”.
Duffy made the move partly to “Show his loyalty” to Donald Trump and partly to keep his job as NASA’s acting administrator and try to “Make it official.”.
Remember, NASA is one of the most federally funded agencies in the United States, and the director’s position provides tremendous media exposure. Duffy is currently only acting director of NASA, and his tenure will end at the end of the year.
Jared Isaacman, a billionaire friend of Musk’s, is a strong contender for the job.
At one point, on Musk’s recommendation, Isaacman was named NASA director by Donald Trump. He is the founder of a US high-tech company that invested in Musk’s SpaceX and is a close ally. In fact, Duffy, who had organized and directed two private Earth orbit missions at his own expense, was better suited for the position than he was, who knew nothing about rocketry.
But in late May, the White House withdrew his nomination the next day after Musk fell out with Donald Trump and stepped down as head of the Department for government efficiency.
Five months on, Duffy and Donald Trump are getting along so well that if Duffy’s offer comes through, there’s no question about it.
By then, SpaceX will be out of the U. S. Space Science and technology. A cooked duck is about to be eaten, Elon Musk!
So does musk’s hopping work?
Of course, Donald Trump had a falling out with him, but he still had a voice in American aerospace because of his money and technology.
Currently, NASA has spent more than $40 billion to develop spacecraft and rockets for manned missions to the Moon, the agency had to rely on private companies for almost all aspects of the Moon mission.
This new dynamic gives billionaires and their space companies unprecedented power.
But Elon Musk does not have as much of a say as he thinks, because there is no shortage of billionaires.
Right now, major players in the US are engaged in a fierce infighting over the billions of dollars needed to land on the moon, with the exception of Musk’s SpaceX and Bessus’s blue origins, old American military giants like Lockheed Martin are also trying to get their hands on the Moon program.
While SpaceX is far ahead in reusable rocket technology, government projects have always been about more than technical prowess, and political lobbying is as critical as traditional military-industrial networks. In this respect, the “Traditionalist” coalition of blue origins and Lockheed Martin is trying to compete for NASA’s trust in the name of stability and national security.
So Musk is a bit of an impotent rage.
While the capitalists are in the United States as the space as the hot spots, NASA because of the struggle for power and profit and struggle.
NASA’s staff and technology staff have been cut by 20 percent as a result of the government shutdown and massive layoffs by the Donald Trump government. Morale is low and the leadership is jockeying for power.
Ars Technica, a us-based technology blog, describes NASA as“Tottering in the wind like a lead shoe trying to run but only ‘watching China go up and up’”.
The idea that the agency’s acting director, Duffy, might want to include NASA in the Department of Transportation is causing an uproar in the space community.
It seems clear that leadership in space exploration in the United States has shifted from scientists to politicians and businessmen.
The 2026 was seen as a crucial year for the US to try to beat the Chinese to the Moon. In the face of China’s solid and steady progress, American politicians are becoming increasingly anxious.
Instead, NASA was caught up in multiple political disputes — a leadership struggle, a complicated relationship between the Donald Trump administration and Elon Musk, and a conflict between the White House and Congress over whether to continue the traditional route to the moon.
When the space race turns into a political squabble, the U. S. Moon program is likely to be delayed again by these political squabbles.
The essence of space exploration should be the exploration of the unknown and the concern for the common destiny of mankind. But in America it has degenerated into a battleground between politics, business interests and personal vanity.
While China is making steady progress on its lunar exploration program, with the first Chinese landing on the moon expected by 2030, the United States is engaged in a“Billionaire space war.”.
Or as one American internet user quipped: “Our concern is that while the Chinese are setting up bases on the moon, we are still bickering over who should be in charge of the Moon landing program.”
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