NASA’s head Bill Nelson has been one of Elon Musk’s harshest critics, but he said he trusts SpaceX because someone other than the eccentric billionaire is running it.
In an interview with NPR, Nelson addressed concerns about Musk’s involvement in SpaceX, a company that is heavily funded by government contracts and that has worked closely with NASA. When asked about Musk’s decision-making and its potential impact on NASA’s plans, Nelson highlighted that the reason he trusts SpaceX is because its president is not Musk.
“Elon Musk… one of the most important decisions he made is he picked a president named Gwynne Shotwell,” Nelson responded. “She runs SpaceX. She is excellent. And so I have no concerns.”
Nelson’s confidence in Shotwell is not new. After Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in late 2022, Nelson sought reassurance from Shotwell that the distraction wouldn’t affect SpaceX’s operations. Shotwell assured him that SpaceX remained unaffected by Musk’s other ventures.
“She told me it hadn’t harmed the spaceflight company and that I had ‘nothing to worry about,'” Nelson recounted. “I hugged her with a smile on my face because I know she is running that thing. She’s running SpaceX.”
According to Futurism, Nelson’s stance on Musk has evolved over time. Lori Garver, former deputy director of NASA, said Nelson was once a vocal opponent of Musk and SpaceX. In her memoir, “Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age,” Garver recalls Nelson’s strong opposition to SpaceX when he was a senator, even shouting at her to “‘get your boy Elon in line.'”
While Nelson has publicly softened his stance on Musk, he occasionally lets his skepticism show. Given NASA’s substantial investment in SpaceX, it’s understandable why he remains vigilant about the company’s leadership and direction.
