The Starlink logo on a mobile device with a graphic image of planet Earth is seen in this photo in Warsaw, Poland on September 21, 2022.
STR| Nurphoto | Getty Images
SpaceX's effort to put 22,488 additional satellites into low-earth orbit is facing a formal protest from a Ukrainian-American nonprofit group, which says it is concerned about the CEO. at Elon Musk “communicating with Russia and the alleged use of its Starlink system by Russian forces in Ukraine.” “
In a petition to deny and a motion to stay filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, the Ukrainian American Congress Committee (UCCA) also said negative environmental effects of SpaceX launching in Texas and Musk's conflict of interest due to his work with the incoming Trump administration.
SpaceX's Starlink system has been connected to Ukraine ever since terminals came there shortly after Russian troops invaded the neighboring country in early 2022. The following year, the Pentagon agree to buy Starlink satellite internet centers for use in Ukraine's continued defense against Russia.
But, in September 2023, Americans of Ukrainian descent protested SpaceX CEO after it was revealed that he had thwarted a major attack on the Russian navy. Musk said at the time that he had told his engineers not to turn on SpaceX's Starlink satellite network over Crimea to prevent a planned attack by Ukraine on the Black Sea fleet in 2022.
“It needs to be determined whether Starlink was used to aid a foreign adversary,” UCCA President Michael Sawkiw, Jr., told CNBC, regarding the group's decision to file a petition and motion with the FCC this week. “If so, this is not in the interest of the national security of Ukrainian Americans, or the country as a whole.”
The UCCA is not the only group concerned about Musk's relationship with the Kremlin.
The Wall Street Journal reported in October that Musk had engaged in a series of “secret conversations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Members of Congress and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson have called for research in these links.
A month before the Iris story, News week and others said that Russia had installed Starlink terminals in its Iranian-designed Shahed drones, which were used in its armed crime in Ukraine. Starlink did not comment on the story, but earlier this year, in February, Musk said in a social media post that news reports suggesting Starlink was selling destinations to Russia were “apparently false,” and “to the best of our knowledge, Starlinks has not been sold directly or indirectly indirectly to Russia.
Sawkiw said his organization is advocating for concerns about the approximately 2 million Americans of Ukrainian descent living in the US today, many of whom arrived after the war began in February 2022.
The Starlink satellites mentioned in the petition would allow the company to deliver Internet services to more destinations around the world as part of its Gen2 NGSO satellite system.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Tim Hughes, senior vice president for global business and government affairs.
Potential conflicts of interest
If Sawkiw's group succeeds on the legal merits, the FCC may have to suspend licenses for SpaceX, leaving time for an environmental review, and for a plan to resolve any conflicts of interest that arise from Musk's new role. the next step. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE is expected to act as a federal advisory committee that will influence regulations, government spending and personnel. The group could propose major changes at the FCC and affect the oversight of SpaceX and other companies under Musk's leadership.
“Musk's conflicts run the full gamut from finance to inequality,” UCCA wrote in the petition. “His companies benefit financially both from receiving government contracts and from actions taken by the government federal, including the FCC. Putting Musk at the head of DOGE is like letting the fox guard the hen house.”
The motion asks the FCC to find out how Musk complied with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, given his position with DOGE, before approving SpaceX's other requests.
Regarding environmental concerns, UCCA's chief regulatory counsel Arthur Belendiuk wrote in the filings to the FCC that SpaceX's launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas “biologically diverse and essential habitat for many species, including wildlife protected under the Endangered Species Act.” Mentioning previous eventshe said, “The launch of a rocket in this area creates a real risk of fire and debris being sent out on land that is under environmental protection. “
After reports that vibration and noise from the SpaceX launch destroyed nine nests of endangered bird species in the area, Musk he wrote in a post on X In July, “To make up for this heinous crime, I will stop having an omelette for a week.”
Belendiuk wrote in the petition that instead of fixing the damage caused by the SpaceX launch, Musk is “responding to the legitimate concerns of local environmental groups with bitterness and ridicule.”
The UCCA had filed comments in April against SpaceX in a separate FCC proceeding related to the company's request to access additional spectrum for its Starlink network.
Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said at the time that the agency's comments were “procedurally inappropriate and largely worthless,” and that it was effectively asking “the government to break the law by arming him” against Musk.
Now, President-elect Donald Trump Yes name Carr to lead the FCC in its second administration. Carr's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Belendiuk told CNBC that his organization's “focus is not solely on Musk or SpaceX.”
The group took legal action against Radio Sputnik, which broadcast Russian government propaganda, off the public airwaves in the US, Beledniuk said, and is “actively engaged in negotiations with perpetrators chip whose licensed products were found in Russian military systems.”
