SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk is ratcheting up his high-risk critique of NASA interim administrator Sean Duffy, a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, injecting drama and uncertainty into the nomination process for the agency’s top job.

NASA may sideline SpaceX and choose a different company to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade, acting space agency chief Sean Duffy suggested during TV appearances Monday. Duffy emphasized that he believes SpaceX,

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk hurled insults at NASA’s acting administrator a day after complaints SpaceX was behind schedule on its Artemis lander.

SpaceX signed the nearly $3 billion government contract in 2021. It helped solidify the fledgling company as a powerhouse in space travel as the country with the most advanced space program gave it the stamp of approval. Since then, SpaceX’s valuation has ballooned from $100 billion to reports of over $400 billion.

Elon Musk predicts SpaceX will carry almost 90% of Earth's orbital payload by the end of the year, calls it Earth's Space Program.