---
title: "Former NASA Official Says Many at Agency Deeply Oppose SpaceX"
description: "In a new tell-all memoir, a former second-in-command at NASA has aired a ton of the agency's dirty laundry — including about the man who now helms it."
date: "2022-06-23"
modified: "2022-06-23"
authors:
  - name: "Noor Al-Sibai"
    job_title: "Senior Staff Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-nasa-official-spacex"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "bill nelson"
  - "commercial crew"
  - "elon musk"
  - "NASA"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# Former NASA Official Says Many at Agency Deeply Oppose SpaceX

![In a new tell-all memoir, a former second-in-command at NASA has aired a ton of the agency's dirty laundry — including about the man who now helms it.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/former-nasa-official-describes-intra-agency-feud-over-elon-musk.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Drew Angerer/Getty Images\</em\>*

## Airing Out

In a new tell-all memoir, the former second-in-command at NASA has aired a ton of the agency's dirty laundry — including significant fights with Bill Nelson, the man who now helms it.

When she was NASA's deputy administrator, ex-official [Lori Garver told *Politico*](<https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/21/get-your-boy-elon-in-line-nasa-tell-all-recounts-turmoil-over-private-space-race-00041085>) that she not only dealt with [vile sexism from coworkers](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/lori-garver-nasa-slurs>), but also with what she calls "passive-aggressive" behavior from [now-Administrator Nelson](<https://futurism.com/facts-nasa-head-bill-nelson>).

And at the heart of Garver and Nelson's bad blood, she alleges, is a familiar Futurism character: the ever-controversial Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX.

## Retelling History

The former deputy administrator wrote that it was she who spearheaded NASA's public-private partnership with SpaceX, [known as the Commercial Crew Program](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-officially-certifies-spacex-for-human-space-travel>) — a move that she says drew much internal ire, including from Nelson.

While he was still a US senator, Garver wrote, Nelson "led the opposition" to Commercial Crew. She recounted a private meeting in which the then-senator "shouted at me to 'get your boy Elon in line'" after Musk publicly claimed that he could help NASA.

According to Garver, Nelson hasn't always been so fond of the billionaire and his private spaceflight company, though he now "recalls his record differently" and is "doing his best to wrap himself in the Commercial Crew flag."

## Transformations

These claims, it should be noted, corroborate previous reporting suggesting that there are [many inside NASA who despise SpaceX](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-nasa-head-feud>) — and to their credit, [Musk hasn't made it easy](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-nasa-wolf-amendment>) with his erratic behavior and hubristic style.

On her end, Garver clearly is fan of the SpaceX CEO, and wrote that his "story is difficult to separate" from her own.

"I wouldn’t have managed to pull off much of a transformation at NASA," she continued, "without him and SpaceX."

**READ MORE:** [‘Get your boy Elon in line’: NASA tell-all recounts turmoil over private space race](<https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/21/get-your-boy-elon-in-line-nasa-tell-all-recounts-turmoil-over-private-space-race-00041085>) \[*Politico*\]

**More on NASA/SpaceX:** *[Astronaut Compares the SpaceX, NASA, and Russian Spacecrafts He's Flown In](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronaut-crew-3-spacex-nasa-russia-iss>)*

## Author
At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/noorfromfuturism.bsky.social>)