Interim NASA head tells agency that it will beat China back to the moon

It's full steam ahead for NASA — at least according to Sean Duffy, the agency's acting administrator

It's full steam ahead for NASA — at least according to Sean Duffy, the agency's acting administrator.

During an internal employee town hall Thursday, Duffy warned of "letting safety be the enemy of progress" when it comes to winning the new space race, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by NBC News.

"We are safety driven, and we should be safety driven, and FAA and DOT, we’re the same, but sometimes we can let safety be the enemy of making progress," said Duffy, who also serves as Transportation Secretary.

"We have to be able to take some leaps. We have to be able to jump forward in our innovation and drive this mission, and there’s always a balance to that, but we can’t side on the side of doing nothing because we’re afraid of any risk," he told NASA employees alongside newly named NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya.

A spokesperson for NASA said the agency remains committed to safety.