Elon Musk does not own NASA, which is an independent civilian agency of the United States federal government funded by taxpayers and directed by the US government. However, Elon Musk is the founder, Chief Executive Officer, and chief engineer of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., widely known as SpaceX, which is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company. While SpaceX operates independently as a private enterprise, it functions as a critical contractor for NASA, providing commercial resupply services, astronaut transportation to the International Space Station, and advanced launch capabilities.