Musk’s DOGE is about to audit one of the agencies that has secured him billions in contracts over the last decade.
As billionaire businessman Elon Musk has been leading an unprecedented effort to slash government spending, he’s about to audit one of the agencies that has secured him billions in contracts over the last decade.
NASA acting administrator Janet Petro confirmed Wednesday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—which is led by Musk—will be reviewing the agency’s financials.
„We are a federal agency; we are going to have DOGE come“, she said at a recent event. „They are going to look—similarly to what they’ve done at other agencies—at our payments.“
As the audit approaches, Musk’s dual role—as the CEO of SpaceX and the head of a government oversight body—has raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest, fair competition in contracting, and the potential influence over NASA’s strategic direction. With SpaceX as a top contractor, concerns are mounting over whether funding priorities will shift in favor of Musk’s own ventures.Why It Matters
NASA and SpaceX have built one of the most significant public-private partnerships in modern space exploration. Since 2015, SpaceX has received more than $13 billion in NASA contracts, making it one of the agency’s largest private partners.
However, with Musk now overseeing a government office tasked with reducing federal spending, questions have emerged about how his position could affect future funding decisions. Some critics warn that Musk’s leadership of DOGE could introduce bias into NASA’s contracting processes.SpaceX’s Contracts with NASA
Since 2015, SpaceX has received more than $13 billion in contracts from NASA, making it one of the agency’s largest private partners, playing a crucial role in NASA’s missions.
The company has played a key role in crew and cargo transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Crew Program. It is also developing Starship as a human lunar lander for Artemis missions and has been contracted to build the deorbit vehicle that will retire the ISS by 2030.
