NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed concern over reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nelson took the stage at Semaphore’s World Economic Summit on Friday (October 25) and was asked about the October 24 Wall Street Journal article. articlereported that Musk has secretly been in regular contact with President Putin since the end of 2022. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of that year. The report cites former U.S., European and Russian officials.
”[SpaceX] “They’ve been incredibly successful…I don’t know if that story is true or not,” Nelson said. Elon Musk And if you’re the president of Russia, that would be particularly concerning for NASA and the Department of Defense,” Nelson said, according to Semaphore. reported.
Musk’s space x An important commercial partner for NASA. the falcon 9 Rocket launches cargo and crew international space station. huge development in progress starship The vehicle will also be essential to the agency’s efforts to return astronauts to the lunar surface. artemis 3 mission for the next few years.
Related: SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company
Musk has recently criticized the Biden administration and is campaigning in support of Donald Trump in the upcoming US presidential election.
Nelson did not directly criticize SpaceX in the interview. He said he had developed a strong working relationship with the company through chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell.
Musk has not commented on reports of his meeting with President Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted the story. claim One phone call took place before 2022, during which Musk and Putin discussed various technologies.
