Recent reports about alleged communications between SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Russian President Vladimir Putin have sparked significant concern. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized the need for an investigation into these claims during an interview with Semafor’s Burgess Everett on Friday.
Nelson stated, “I don’t know if that story is true. If it’s 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.” His comments come on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report indicating that Musk has been in regular contact with Putin since late 2022.
Musk’s Communications with Putin
The Journal’s report cited former US, European, and Russian officials, suggesting that Musk and Putin discussed various topics, ranging from personal matters to issues surrounding business and geopolitical tensions. Given Musk’s business connections with U.S. intelligence and military agencies, he possesses “unique visibility into some of America’s most sensitive space programs,” the report noted. This access to classified information raises potential national security concerns.
More Read
As a critical commercial partner for NASA, SpaceX plays a vital role in space missions. On the same day Nelson spoke, NASA’s Crew-8 mission members successfully returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule. During the discussion at Semafor’s World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C., Nelson highlighted NASA’s nonpartisan stance and commended the work of SpaceX CEO Gwynne Shotwell, mentioning that Musk largely allows her to manage the company, which has seen remarkable success.
Kremlin’s Response
While Musk has not yet commented on these allegations, the Kremlin maintains that there was only one conversation between Putin and Musk. According to their statement, the discussion revolved around “space as well as current and future technologies.”
