In a lengthy interview with Business Insider, Elon Musk addressed various reservations about the situation in Ukraine, where he deployed the Starlink satellite Internet system in the early days of the crisis.
With Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer (Insider’s parent company), Musk highlighted Starlink’s ability to outmanoeuvre Russian missiles. Musk has been supporting Ukraine in maintaining its internet connection during the hostile invasion. According to Musk, Starlink services may be the only option in the ongoing crisis. Therefore, properly keeping satellites in orbit is more crucial than ever, and success depends on both speed and numbers.
Elon Musk previously stated that Russians attempted to hack and jam the Starlink satellite Internet system in Ukraine, but their efforts went down the drain. During the interview, he was asked an intriguing question: “What happens if Russia and China target satellites?” Will this be a threat to Starlink?”
It was interesting to consider the Russian anti-satellite demonstration a few months ago in the context of this conflict. Since then, there has been a lot of discussion among satellite providers. It even put the Russian space station in jeopardy, where the cosmonauts are stationed. “So, why did they do it?” Musk enquired.
“If you attempt to take out Starlink, this is not easy because there are 2000 satellites,” Musk told Döpfner. “That means a lot of anti-satellite missiles. I hope we do not have to put this to a test, but I think we can launch satellites faster than they can launch anti-satellite missiles.”
In his conversation with Döpfner, Musk seems mellow and sympathetic. While the two chatted about everything, Musk spent a lot of time discussing the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
“It is surprising to see that in this day and age,” Musk said. “I thought we had sort of moved beyond such things for the most part. It is concerning.”
Musk may be a wild child, but the current crisis may have mellowed him just a little. Furthermore, his remarks show that he is thinking about his long-term impact on the planet as one of the world’s richest people.
“I think I can be helpful in conflicts,” Musk said.
“I try to take a set of actions that are most likely to improve the probability that the future will be good. And obviously, sometimes I make mistakes in this regard. I do whatever I think is most likely to ensure that the future is good for humanity. Those are the actions that I will take.”