Nasa’s $24 billion budget is under scrutiny as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) begins reviewing the agency’s spending. With SpaceX holding $15 billion in Nasa contracts, concerns over conflicts of interest have emerged.

Musk might also take aim at NASA’s other contracts to serve his interests. Last year, for example, he attacked Boeing over its Starliner program. Some of the many young programmers in DOGE, such as Luke Farritor and Marko Elez, already have connections to SpaceX.