this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2023
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SpaceX's Private Control Of Satellite Internet Concerns Military Leaders::Military leaders around the world have expressed concerns over the dominance of SpaceX founder Elon Musk when it comes to satellite-based internet services.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

SpaceX and Starlink got most of the funding strait from the DoD. The Spaceforce Branch of the US Military has 100% full controll over the whole constelation if they need to.

Using Musk as a Front to launch a shit ton of Satelites is just a good front so people arent enraged the US Military but so many new sats up.

They Squat on the best orbits so the chinese cant take those. They can be uses for Signal inteligence. They even can be uses as distributed SAR lens for observations. Possible even for the interception of balistic Missiles once there are enouth of them up there.

The military implication are enormus. It is the High ground you wana have. Making the world thing thay this wasnt an American Defense projekt was the best psyop ever pulled.

[–] what_is_a_name 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

The problem for me is that Musk is an unreliable partner to any government. He is for sale to the highest bidder that strokes his ego.

But I guess that is a risk the feds will have to deal with in due time.

Honestly I waiting for the moment when one of Musk’s stunts gets Space X banned from government contracts until the boot the Muppet.

Edit: grammar

[–] Chunk 3 points 1 year ago

The US gov can take control of the constellation through the Defense Production Act and they can even jail or remove musk if he doesn't comply. In the event of an actual war, assuming the constellation doesn't get shot down, it wouldn't be a problem.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah. Part of me has to wonder what -- if any -- backchanneled agreements there are between Glynn Shotwell and the DoD for if/when Musk does something truly compromising.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Starlink helps Ukraine and that’s okay to me

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Helps them up to a point. He didn't allow Ukrainians to use it in Crimea for example, which shows allegiance to Russia more than anything else.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Use it in Russian occupied Crimea? Were you born yesterday?

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago

He could just not let them use starlink at all. Ask any Ukrainian and they'll tell you how invaluable it has been to them yet here we are still doing mental gymnastics about how he's a Russian asset. I get that you don't like the guy but this is just ridiculous.