4 November 2024

What Does Elon Musk Want? SpaceX CEO May Pose a Risk to National Security

Douglas Yeung

SpaceX's impressive launch capabilities—demonstrated most recently by its Falcon 9 rocket, Europa Clipper, and recovery of the Starship rocket booster—have become integral to supporting key objectives of the U.S. military.

The Pentagon hopes that Starshield satellites launched by SpaceX could drastically improve connectivity in remote environments. Networked satellites from Starlink—a SpaceX subsidiary—could help the military spot targets anywhere in the world. Falcon rockets have launched multiple U.S. Space Force missions.

But SpaceX's growing ambitions and successes supplying both the U.S. military and intelligence agencies raise a vital question about SpaceX and its CEO: Does mercurial leadership in a company so integral to America's interests present a national security risk?
What Elon Musk Wants: From the Pentagon to the 2024 Election

Under Elon Musk, SpaceX has taken unpredictable actions that could impact geopolitical events, raising national security concerns that a key defense contractor could be manipulated by the impulses of its leadership.

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