NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has voiced concerns over reports that Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has been engaged in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This statement represents Nelson's most direct public criticism yet of the SpaceX owner, a company NASA relies on for crucial missions, including transporting crews to the International Space Station.
Nelson's remarks were made at Semafor's World Economy Summit on October 25th, in response to a Wall Street Journal article that revealed a pattern of regular conversations between Musk and Putin over the past two years, beginning after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The article cited information from current and former American, European, and Russian officials who confirmed the existence of these discussions. It was further alleged that during these conversations, Putin requested that SpaceX refrain from activating its Starlink service over Taiwan, a move seen as an attempt to garner support from China. While SpaceX does not currently provide Starlink service in Taiwan, the extent to which this request influenced the company's actions remains unclear.
In response to the article, SpaceX issued a statement on social media on October 25th, labeling it "incredibly misleading." The company emphasized that Taiwan has yet to grant SpaceX a license to operate Starlink within its borders and has not relaxed foreign ownership restrictions. SpaceX asserted that it does not accept such conditions in any market it operates, stating, “This has nothing to do with Russia or China.”
"I don't know that that story is true," Nelson said at the conference. "I think it should be investigated. If the story is true that there have been multiple conversations between Elon Musk and the president of Russia, then I think that would be concerning, particularly for NASA, for the Department of Defense, for some of the intelligence agencies."
Despite Musk's increasing criticism of the Biden administration and his formal endorsement of Donald Trump for president in July, Nelson has previously refrained from directly criticizing the billionaire. Musk is currently actively campaigning for Trump, participating in town halls in key swing states like Pennsylvania.
Nelson has consistently maintained that his interactions regarding SpaceX are not directly with Musk but rather with Gwynne Shotwell, the company's president and chief operating officer. Shotwell oversees SpaceX's day-to-day operations, while Musk, as the CEO and largest shareholder, guides the company's overall vision.
"The good news is that Elon leaves the running of SpaceX to Gwynne Shotwell, and she is fantastic," Nelson said at a Politico event on July 30th. "And the proof is in the pudding. Look at the success of the Falcon 9."
He acknowledged speaking with Musk on occasion, along with Jeff Bezos, the owner of Blue Origin. "They are both very agreeable. Both of them understand the importance of what we’re doing, and I’m very confident in both of those companies."
At the Semafor event, Nelson again emphasized his primary dealings with Shotwell. “My dealings, NASA’s dealings, with SpaceX are primarily with Gwynne Shotwell. She is the president," he said. "Elon Musk leaves it to her to run SpaceX, and they have been phenomenally successful." Following this statement, he expressed his concerns about the reported conversations between Musk and Putin.