Fact Check: Did Ford Really Gift A Mustang Mach-E To SpaceX Astronaut Just To Troll Tesla And Elon Musk? Here's What The Fuss Is All About

SpaceX astronaut Sian Proctor who took a three-day flight to space and back in September aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule generated some social media flutter on Tuesday after she showed off her new Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F)-made Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle on Twitter.

What Happened: Proctor shared a photograph of her brand new Mach-E. The astronaut shared a message that she loves Elon Musk-led companies Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX but chose to buy a Ford electric vehicle due to "many factors." 

Proctor’s post drew a round of comments including speculations on whether the Mach-E was a gift from Ford to squeeze publicity.

Ha, I wish!! But believe me, if Ford or Tesla or any other company wants to give me an EV, I’ll absolutely take it!!

— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) December 28, 2021

The 51-year old astronaut denied the Mach-E was a gift but joked she would gladly accept one as a present if Ford, Tesla, or any other electric vehicle company decides to take the step.

Proctor had previously in a separate post said the Mach-E is her second Ford vehicle and that she owned a Bronco when she was still in grad school. The astronaut shared a vintage photo of the Bronco as well.

The artist-turned-astronaut also promoted her art and said she’d buy a Tesla the day her work secures 1,000 postcards on Patreon, a subscription-based platform for content creators.

For anyone concerned that I didn’t buy a Tesla, please consider supporting me as an artist. I’ll absolutely buy a Tesla the day I reach 1,000 postcard @Patreon supporters! https://t.co/QxnafXXoTl

— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) December 28, 2021

Ford CEO Jim Farley congratulated Proctor on Twitter and said “Space White” was a great choice of color.

Enjoy! Great to see you in another @Ford! Would love to hear about your experience ‘piloting’ your Mach-E.

— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) December 27, 2021

See Also: Elon Musk's SpaceX To Launch 4 Civilians Into Space Today In Its First-Such Mission And Netflix Is Running A Special Livestream

Proctor and three other astronauts were part the SpaceX’s Inspiration4 all-civilian crew, led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of e-commerce firm Shift4 Payments Inc (NYSE: FOUR).

Photo: Courtesy of Ford