SpaceX founder Elon Musk has slung insults at Sean Duffy, interim head of NASA, calling him "Sean Dummy" and criticizing his loyalty to the agency, stating that "the person responsible for America's space program can't have a 2 digit IQ," as reported by Ars Technica.
It appears that Duffy wishes to continue leading NASA, although he has not publicly stated as much. He has, however, criticized SpaceX, explaining that NASA's contracts had to be adjusted because SpaceX was not keeping up with an agreed-upon launch timetable.
A spokesperson for NASA told Ars Technica that "Sean is grateful that the president gave him the chance to lead NASA. At the president's direction, Sean has focused the agency on one clear goal -- making sure America gets back to the moon before China."
Environmentalists disagree with that goal.
Musk's SpaceX launches have been controversial because of pollution from launch sites, so scientists focused on environmental concerns have voiced the importance of prioritizing life on Earth and dealing with pollution that is warming our planet over investing resources in space travel as a means to escape climate issues.
People concerned about the environment are taking steps to combat global warming and protect human health.
Space travel creates a tremendous amount of pollution. The rockets require fuel to run, and burning of that fuel produces black carbon and soot, among other harmful planet-warming pollutants.
SpaceX plans to launch thousands more Starlink satellites, which could cause a great deal of harm to the environment. The planned launches will release pollution into the Earth's atmosphere that would be equivalent to the pollution released by 7 million diesel dump trucks in a year.
The space industry appears to be wrapped up in a blame game that is self-defeating in its intended goal to beat China, and workforce cuts and uncertain restructuring are not helping the mess.
"The longer this process drags on, the messier it seems to get," wrote Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger. "In the meantime, NASA is twisting in the wind, trying to run in molasses while wearing lead shoes as China marches onward and upward."
Environmentalists would love for there to be more focus on making our own planet a healthier place.