Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said the agency will open up the Artemis 3 contract to other spaceflight companies because SpaceX has fallen behind schedule.

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk hurled insults at NASA’s acting administrator a day after complaints SpaceX was behind schedule on its Artemis lander.

Elon Musk lashed out at NASA’s acting chief Sean Duffy, accusing him of “trying to kill NASA” amid a growing feud over the Artemis Moon program and the agency’s decision to invite rival companies like Blue Origin to compete with SpaceX.

SpaceX signed the nearly $3 billion government contract in 2021. It helped solidify the fledgling company as a powerhouse in space travel as the country with the most advanced space program gave it the stamp of approval. Since then, SpaceX’s valuation has ballooned from $100 billion to reports of over $400 billion.

The Falcon 9 took flight at 1:39 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, from Launch Complex 40 en route to deploying 28 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.

China aims to put its astronauts on the moon by 2030. For NASA to get back there first, it needs SpaceX to quickly complete its Starship rocket — but it faces major hurdles.