Elon Musk said restrictions on the speed and use of Starshield would ultimately be decided by the US military and the president, as questions continued over satellite communications disruptions affecting Ukraine. Senator Jeanne Shaheen called for an independent investigation, while Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly praised Musk as Russia works to develop a satellite constellation intended to compete with Starlink.
Musk said all limits on the speed and use of Starshield “will be determined by the U.S. military and ultimately by the president.” President Trump has denied issuing the restriction order, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his administration had “no foresight” about the economic slowdown.
“The inspector general’s apparent decision not to investigate the satellite communications failure on which Ukraine relies to protect civilians is concerning,” Shaheen said yesterday, according to CNN.
Shaheen said the Trump administration and SpaceX had provided “contradictory accounts of what led to these disruptions, which undermined Ukraine’s national defense and unnecessarily put U.S. military personnel in Ukraine at risk.”
“An independent accounting and investigation is needed to determine responsibility and prevent this from happening in the future,” Shaheen said. “I urge the Inspector General to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Putin praises Musk as Russia plans Starlink replacement
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly called Elon Musk a “genius” on Wednesday while discussing Russia’s plans to build a satellite constellation. Putin made the comments at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow.
“The confession was all the more shocking because the version of Starlink developed by Mr. Musk’s SpaceX has been used by the Ukrainian military throughout its war with Russia as a key element of drone operations and battlefield communications,” Reuters wrote in an article explaining Putin’s comments.
Putin reportedly made the remark during a presentation to Russian government ministers about Russia’s initial launch of 30 satellites.
“Wait a minute, I want to point out that this is just our first step. Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius,” Putin said, according to Reuters.
Putin noted that Starlink already operates thousands of satellites, while “we are just taking the first steps.” He also said he was “in close contact” with Musk.
“We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk, because it is very important that we do not disturb each other and maintain a certain level of discipline and order in orbit,” Putin said.
Source: arstechnica.com
