GoKawiilPutin says he is in 'close contact' with Musk over satellite orbits
Vladimir Putin told the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow that he regularly communicates with Elon Musk to coordinate so Russia's Rassvet satellite internet project and SpaceX's Starlink do not interfere with each other in orbit. Putin called Musk a 'real genius,' while Russia's embassy in South Africa described Rassvet, which has only a few dozen satellites compared with Starlink's roughly 13,000, as Russia's early-stage alternative to Starlink.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The disclosure comes as US-Russia relations appear to be thawing in other areas, including a reported diesel import deal and sanctions waivers, which could suggest Musk's contacts with Putin fit into a broader pattern of engagement despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. It also lands amid scrutiny of Starlink's role in Ukraine's war effort, after Musk acknowledged SpaceX deliberately caused Ukrainian military connectivity problems, raising questions about how commercial satellite diplomacy intersects with geopolitics.
- Putin says he and Musk are in close contact over satellite orbital coordination.
- Russia's Rassvet satellite network has only a couple dozen satellites versus Starlink's roughly 13,000.
- The comments surface amid reports of warming US-Russia ties and Starlink's intentional disruption of Ukrainian military connectivity.
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Published there as: “Elon Musk is a 'real genius', Putin says after satellite talks with SpaceX boss”
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