“Varney & Company” host Stuart Varney has claimed that the test flight of Elon Musk’s Starship rocket will usher in a new era of space exploration.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Friday that reports that SpaceX owner Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022 “should be investigated. ” he said.
The former astronaut and U.S. senator confirmed that Musk is no longer in charge of day-to-day operations at the aerospace company, which works closely with NASA. But he said that despite SpaceX’s “tremendous success” and plans to develop a spacecraft to land on the moon, the Wall Street Journal report raises questions. said.
“I don’t know if the story is true or not, but I think it should be investigated,” Nelson said. “If the story of multiple conversations between Elon Musk and the Russian president is true, I think it would be especially alarming for NASA, the Department of Defense, and some intelligence agencies.”
NASA is working with SpaceX, whose Dragon capsule returned three astronauts and an astronaut from the International Space Station on Friday.
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Friday that reports that SpaceX owner Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022 “should be investigated.” said. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing U.S., European and Russian officials, that starting in 2022, Mr. Musk will continue to communicate with Mr. Putin on issues related to international politics, personal matters and business. We meet regularly.
The magazine noted that SpaceX won a $1.8 billion secret contract with the U.S. government in 2021 and that Musk has top secret security clearance.
A U.S. official said government officials with knowledge of Musk’s relationship with President Putin “do not like it” but that no warnings were issued about a potential national security breach, the Journal reported. Ta.
The newspaper reported that during the conversation, Putin asked Musk to delay triggering Starlink over Taiwan as a favor to China. Starlink never received permission in Taiwan, which has restrictions on foreign satellite providers.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been in regular contact since 2022. (Contributor/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Months after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, restrictions on Ukraine’s military use of Starlink have been tightened, the Journal reported. Musk reportedly said the restrictions were due to concerns about nuclear war in Crimea.
SpaceX denied the Journal’s claims in a statement posted on social media, calling the article “misleading” and noting that the company has supported Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.
“Starlink has kept Ukrainians online and connected to the world throughout the conflict, and Starlink has shielded itself from massive efforts to disrupt that connection at great cost to the company. “We have complied,” the statement reads in part.
“With respect to Taiwan, as even the Taiwanese government has acknowledged, Starlink is not available in Taiwan because Taiwan has not given us a license to operate, and regulators are not allowing foreign companies to operate Starlink in order to operate in Taiwan.” SpaceX has refused to remove the requirement to own 51% of SpaceX, which is unacceptable in any market in which it operates.This has nothing to do with Russia or China. .”
Regarding this report, Musk commented, “Well, The Swamp’s “Trump is Hitler” didn’t work. You might want to consider “Elon is a Russian agent.” Reposted to X. He added two laughing emojis.
Bill Nelson is an administrator at NASA. (Saul Loebpool/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Musk has supported former President Trump as a presidential candidate, and there is speculation that he may take the post in the second Trump administration.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the Journal: “We do not comment on any individual’s security clearance, vetting, status, or personnel security policy issues in the context of reporting on any individual’s conduct.”
White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby said at a press briefing Friday: “I am not in a position to corroborate the veracity of these reports. I would refer Mr. Musk to talk about his personal communications.” Deaf,” he said.
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FOX Business has reached out to SpaceX and NASA for comment.
