--- title: "Head of NASA Not Happy That Elon Musk Has Been Secretly Taking Orders From Putin" description: "NASA head Bill Nelson told Semafor that the Wall Street Journal's report that Elon Musk was in cahoots with Putin should be investigated." date: "2024-10-25" modified: "2024-10-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/head-nasa-elon-musk-putin" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "NASA" - "Space" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "bill nelson" - "elon musk" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" - "vladimir putin" --- # Head of NASA Not Happy That Elon Musk Has Been Secretly Taking Orders From Putin ![NASA head Bill Nelson told Semafor that the Wall Street Journal's report that Elon Musk was in cahoots with Putin should be investigated.]() *\Image: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Semafor Inc.\* ## Concerning NASA administrator Bill Nelson isn't happy with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after the [*Wall Street Journal* reported]() that he has been in "regular contact" with Russian president Vladimir Putin for several years — even reportedly taking orders from the despot to prevent the activation of Starlink satellites over Taiwan as a [favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping](). Nelson [told *Semafor*]() during Friday's Semafor World Economy Summit that he thinks the story "should be investigated." "If its true there have been multiple conversations with Elon Musk and the president of Russia then that would be concerning particularly for NASA and the Department of Defense," he added. It's a notable rebuke given SpaceX's close ties to both the space agency and the Pentagon. The space company has launched [plenty of national security satellites](), while NASA has become reliant on its [Crew Dragon spacecraft]() to reach the International Space Station. Having the space company's chief executive take orders or reveal potentially incriminating secrets to the head of the United States' biggest adversary could have troubling implications — something that Nelson seems painfully aware of. ## National Liability Musk's increasingly polarizing and problematic behavior has put the space agency in a difficult position. For his part, Nelson has [maintained]() that Musk's antics haven't been able to rock the boat too much, since in his estimation SpaceX's president Gwynne Shotwell is the one truly in charge. "The good news about that is that Elon has a president that he lets run the company," he [told *Axios*]() last month. But now that he has reportedly been talking with Putin, Nelson has taken a different tune. Musk has yet to respond to the claims. A Kremlin spokesperson told the newspaper that Musk and Putin had only met once to discuss "space as well as current and future technologies." Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Musk at first seemed opposed to Putin's land grab, aiding the Ukrainian side by sending [thousands of Starlink broadband satellite terminals](). But then, as the *WSJ* reports, his tone changed considerably in late 2022, going as far as to suggest that Ukraine should [give up parts of its territory]() to Russia to prevent a nuclear war. Several years later, Musk has thrown his full weight behind the reelection of former president Donald Trump. The former reality TV host's [close relationship]() with Putin is well-established. Musk's social media network X-formerly-Twitter also [hosted a two-hour chat]() between conservative pundit Tucker Carlson and Putin. In short, Musk's ties with the US' largest adversaries have clearly rattled NASA's leadership. **More on Musk and NASA:** *[NASA Is Mega Hyped About SpaceX's Imminent Starship Test Flight]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()