Below is a transcript of that conversation, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

CNN Business: It seems unrealistic, that the 2024 deadline for Artemis, NASA's moon landing program, is going to be met.

How much do you think the all-in cost of Artemis will be?

I think we are going to try to stick to the existing amount that is allocated.

Along comes SpaceX, and they say we can bring astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station.

These billionaires, that you call them, are putting their wealth into the research and development of the space program.

NASA's own rocket, Space Launch System (SLS), has cost the government billions and billions and is years behind schedule, and it has yet to take flight.

But the Space Launch System is, as we speak, being stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, and at the end of this year, it is going to fly.

But we've got to have a way to get our astronauts up to the moon, and we're going to do the first unmanned test launch of Space Launch System at the end of the year.

Do you see a future in which Starship surpasses SLS?

I hope we see a competition.

We don't think it's an optical phenomenon because of the characteristics that those Navy jet pilots described.

The Pentagon will soon release its report on UFOs.

What are some of the biggest challenges to maintaining space as neutral territory?

I don't want that cooperation to stop.

I don't want to see our cooperation with Russia cease.

I can tell you, whatever the politics is, where we have a very strained relationship with Russia right now at the Putin level — I can tell you the workers, the space workers, they want to continue with the Americans.

There's long been these rumors, though, that Russia intends to pull out of the International Space Station.

This China-Russia space partnership, what kind of threat would that pose to America's dominance as a leader in space exploration?

I think it'd be a threat to Russia.

Because China, eventually, as they are want to do, start dominating the Russian space station and the Russian space program.

We don't want to lose that.

And second thing is that, if it's going to be coming in uncontrolled — they should be transparent and tell the people of the world to be protected.

Do you think another space race is in our future?

I hope not.

That's why I want to see if we have the ability to cooperate.

We also want to cooperate on managing space debris, because that junk is lethal.

That would be instant death.

How would you characterize the threat of all of this space debris?

It's dangerous, and shameful for anybody — including the US — that has allowed space debris to be up there.

This came to the public's attention in 2007 when the Chinese government tested anti-satellite technology.

There were thousands of pieces of space debris generated about 150 to 350 miles up, near where most space missions travel, and where the human activities such as our International Space Station are.

So — easy answer to your question — it is very dangerous, and we've got to get nations to stop putting up the debris.

There are several upcoming tourists missions to the International Space Station in addition to a slew of films and reality shows that are set to start production in the near future.

Should taxpayer dollars really go towards providing a set location for blockbusters?

As we go into space, we want to encourage entrepreneurs to do new things and to utilize the extraordinary Zero-G environment of space to do all kinds of science, as well as entertainment.

The answer to that is yes.

For a private astronaut to go on to the International Space Station — even though they're on a private rocket and paying for that — they should pay fair market value for use of the International Space Station.