Putin called Musk "truly a genius"
Vladimir Putin stated that despite political tensions with the US, Russia maintains ties in the space sector with Elon Musk and other American partners. Calling Musk "truly a genius," he emphasized that Russia is developing a low-orbit internet satellite system.
Putin called Musk "a real genius"
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that despite political tensions between Moscow and Washington, Russia continues to maintain contact with SpaceX head Elon Musk and other American partners regarding low-Earth orbit satellite constellations.
Putin described Musk as "a real genius" of a person. He said:
"We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk, because it is extremely important not to interfere with each other in orbit and to maintain a certain discipline and order."
According to Putin, Russia values this cooperation "despite all political issues" and is proud to be creating an alternative to Starlink.
This refers to the "Rassvet" system, which Putin called Russia's first step in this field. This satellite constellation, designed for broadband internet, is being developed by the "Bureau 1440" company. The company launched its first 16 serial satellites into orbit in March, followed by a second batch in July. The commercial launch of the service is planned for next year, and the number of satellites is expected to exceed 900 by 2035.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelensky put the blame on Musk and Donald Trump for restricted access to the Starlink network, which helps the Ukrainian Armed Forces repel Russian missile and drone attacks. Trump denied ordering a reduction in internet speed, while Musk accused Ukraine of violating service rules by using the network for offensive drone strikes. On October 24, Kyiv announced that the restrictions had been lifted. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump had previously asked Musk to remove these restrictions.