Musk’s SpaceX has nearly total control of the world’s satellite internet through its Starlink unit. With little regulation or oversight, Musk has already put more than 4,500 Starlink satellites into orbit around the globe, accounting for more than half of all active satellites.
But, but, he just went ahead and did it! Few peoplewere employed in offices to deign to grant him permission. He didn;t have to ask permission of politics – did not have to grease politicians.
It’s an outrage I tell ‘ee!
Which is, in fact, the basic Robert Reich whinge here.
But then we get to this sort of idiocy:
When Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine, Musk and SpaceX’s Starlink provided Ukraine with internet access, enabling the country to plan attacks and defend itself. (This was not a charitable move by Musk; most of the 20,000 terminals in the country were funded by outside sources such as the US government and those of the United Kingdom and Poland).
But in the fall of 2022, when Ukraine entered territory contested by Russia, Musk and SpaceX abruptly severed the connectivity. Musk explained at the time: “Starlink was barred from turning on satellite beams in Crimea at the time, because doing so would violate US sanctions against Russia!”
But who was Musk to decide what actions would or would not violate US sanctions?
If you violate sanctions then you can go to jail. So, Musk is an honest citizen trying to obey national law then. What’s the problem with that, Bobby?
Elon Musk poses a clear and present danger to American national security. The sooner the US government revokes his security clearance, terminates its contracts with him and the entities he controls, and builds its own alternatives to Starlink and SpaceX, the safer America will be.
And jeez. Reich really is saying that because Musk doesn’t kowtow to the usual D pieties therefore the US should use the power of government to bankrupt him.
Yeah, you won’t be so chipper when all these Starlink satellites suddenly join up and form a giant Lego Death Star.
This is really all about Twitter, of course. Once they take that away from him there will be few places where people can share information critical of the supposed ‘elites’. Podcasts will be next, and Substack. I suppose they’ll eventually come for blogs like this.
“But who was Musk to decide what actions would or would not violate US sanctions?”
Someone who was told that by government or his own lawyers maybe?
“… builds its own alternatives to Starlink and SpaceX,”
Which has currently left astronauts stuck on the ISS because of fears it might explode. Let’s make this guy the next test pilot.
builds its own alternatives to Starlink and SpaceX
Haha. Hahaha. Hahahahahaha. Ha.
How’s that Starliner going, Boeing? You know, the one that cost twice as much to develop as Crew Dragon and took twice as long.
And how do you intend to put thousands of comms satellites up without using the only company that has a reusable first stage?
Good timing for this, as AST Spacemobile launched 5 bluebird satellites a couple of weeks ago, creating a rival to Starlink (on a SpaceX Falcon 9). And a year ago, Amazon put a few satellites into space as part of Project Kuiper, which is their project to create satellite internet.
The government builds their own? Right. NASA will spend 30 years making presentations about it, talking a good game, like the last 30 years of NASA achieving nothing. More man-made objects have been put into space in the past 5 years than the previous 60, which is almost entirely about SpaceX.
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cumulative-number-of-objects-launched-into-outer-space
With little regulation or oversight, Musk has already put more than 4,500 Starlink satellites into orbit around the globe
FCC permission was requested and granted for use of the frequencies and the numbers of satellites in each operational shell.
FAA permission was requested and a launch licence granted for every launch.
“ Yeah, you won’t be so chipper when all these Starlink satellites suddenly join up and form a giant Lego Death Star.”
I dunno, it could be quite amusing:
https://youtu.be/MpfmzfRf8UI?si=C4SAePAmW0WH1Xzl
Let’s hope that Trump deals with the Left in the same way they’ve been dealing with him…
The unpleasant short @rse is an ideal candidate for a long session of dwarf throwing.
NASA will spend 30 years making presentations about it, talking a good game, like the last 30 years of NASA achieving nothing.
The NASA versions will have been designed and built by women, transwomen and scientists of colour. The fact they quite literally will never get off the ground is immaterial.
Reich is too cowardly to admit what he really wants, which is for the US government to disappear Musk and seize Starlink.
First they laugh at Musk* and his ideas, then they mock the first efforts finally they want to take it off him because he’s too successful and embarrassing the elites.
*And just about every successful entrepreneur.
My understanding is that Musk created a military arm of star link and sold it to the US government so he could wash his hands of the targeting stuff. So it is now the State Dept. Defence dept, Congress, President that decides what other governmental actors get to use it.
“And how do you intend to put thousands of comms satellites up without using the only company that has a reusable first stage?”
The answer to that lies here:
“Reich is too cowardly to admit what he really wants, which is for the US government to disappear Musk and seize Starlink.”
reich has severe tds bordering on outright hatred for trump. musk likes trump therefore reich hates musk.
BiND,
Politicians are really bad at tech and investing in what is going to work. They mostly pour money into slightly better versions of the last generation of things, and by the time they get onto it, the world has already shifted to a new tech. Like by the time Concorde started flying, fast, cheap, reliable global telecoms was making it redundant. Tons of money is being poured into rural ADSL broadband, when it would be cheaper to just buy Starlink subscriptions for a hamlet in mid-Wales. The first physical work on HS2 started when it was clear we could do a lot more office work without trains.
Judea declares war on Musk.
WB,
I saw that even in the USA, or perhaps it was state specific, they wouldn’t class Starlink as a rural broadband solution. Even the bureaucracy can’t make objective decisions.
When Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine
They always try to personalise it, as if word magic will make it true. It’s always Putin this and Putin that, and Putin on the Ritz.
‘Putin’ is a bland Russian bureaucrat. He isn’t a dictator and doesn’t even have a cult of personality, because he doesn’t seem to have a personality.
The Russian State invaded Ukraine, if Mad Vlad died tomorrow his replacement would very likely be more aggressive, not less. Short of colour revolutioning and breaking up Russia (a Western wet dream), no Russian leader is going to allow Ukraine, Georgia or other neighbouring countries to be used as a springboard to attack Russia.
Sorry NATO, you have not won this time.
Reich has the story arse-backwards. Starlink was never enabled in Crimea (because it would break sanctions). Ukraine then launched an operation in Crimea, and asked Elon to enable Starlink in that area to support the operation. He refused to do so.
I’ve discovered something fascinating about Musk. Americans pronounce his first name Eelon. So how do they pronounce Elton John?
dearieme – is it pronounced like “Creg”?
In Kent there is the Elham Val;ley which is prononced Eel-um.
“But who was Musk to decide what actions would or would not violate US sanctions?”
This statement baffles me somewhat.
Who am I to decide what actions of mine might violate a burglary statute? Well, I’m the one person in the world who has to pre-examine my intentions and compare them to statutory prohibitions. Who else is ever in a position to do this?
Likewise, who other than Musk can examine his own intentions and decide that they will or won’t violate the US sanctions?
Reich is clouded by his hates.
Reich is clouded by his hates.
Also, being a 4ft 7 midget little cunt.
Must agree with you, bobby b.
The way the left treats Musk should push any rational people to the right (as it did him).
I don’t understand how people seem to take political endorsements from celebrities seriously, but then foam at the mouth about a multiple-times successful businessman and technologist doing the same.