Elon Musk Says Head Of NASA Has '2 Digit IQ' — SpaceX's Moon Deal Hangs In Balance

Author: Erica Kollmann | October 21, 2025 02:02pm

Elon Musk had some choice words for the acting head of NASA after the agency opened up the Artemis 3 lunar mission contract to competition after SpaceX‘s missed timeline for the project. 

• RKLB stock is moving. See the real-time price action here. 

Moon Landers Wanted

NASA's Artemis 3 mission is planned for 2027 and was to use SpaceX's Starship as the lunar lander. 

However, setbacks have prompted NASA to seek backup options to avoid jeopardizing U.S. space ambitions, with President Donald Trump expressing a strong desire for the moon landing to occur before the end of his term.

Acting NASA Administrator and Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Monday that companies such as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and possibly others, are expected to bid for the role. 

“They do remarkable things, but they’re behind schedule,” Duffy said, referring to SpaceX. 

Musk is the CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla.

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Musk Gets Mad

Musk fired back at Duffy on Tuesday in a series of posts on social media. 

"Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America's space program?" Musk asked in a post pinned to the top of his timeline. 

Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America's space program? 🤔

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2025

Musk also wrote that Duffy is "trying to kill NASA" and said that "the person responsible for America's space program can't have a 2 digit IQ." 

The person responsible for America's space program can't have a 2 digit IQ https://t.co/U4O2GERiTg

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2025

Space Stocks React

Several space stocks rose following the news that NASA will open its lunar contracts to SpaceX rivals. The main stocks that showed notable gains include:

• Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) shares rose by 1.6% on Monday as the company is a direct competitor in launching small payloads and is seen as a potential beneficiary of new NASA contracts.​

• Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) stock climbed on Monday and Tuesday. The company manufactures lunar landers and is already involved in NASA's lunar cargo programs.​

• Karman Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:KRMN) shares jumped 4.3% as a manufacturer of components for rockets, satellites, and aircraft.​

• Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL): The satellite constellation operator's shares rose by 3.4% on Monday, but pulled back Tuesday after JMP Securities downgraded the stock to Market Perform. 

• AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NYSE:ASTS): The satellite communications company saw shares jump by 4% during Monday's session before pulling back. 

• Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) including Dynetics, which previously competed for the Artemis lunar contract, shares rose by 5% over the past two days. 

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Photo: Shutterstock

Posted In: ASTS KRMN LDOS LUNR PL RKLB