Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke highly of Elon Musk.
On Wednesday, October 29, the politician, 74, appeared at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow and discussed Russia’s alternative to the 55-year-old SpaceX CEO’s Starlink, known as Rassvet, according to CNBC.
“Elon Musk is a genius, truly a genius,” Putin declared. “He has already had more than 5,000 such satellites in orbit, while we are only taking the first steps.”
Starlink is the world’s largest satellite constellation and provides internet via satellites in space instead of cable. The company’s website states that over 6,750 satellites are currently in orbit.
Aaron Schwartz – CNP / MEGA
The Russian private aerospace company Bureau 1440 built Rassvet. The satellite internet constellation is in low Earth orbit. Currently, it has 31 satellites in orbit, out of the 32 launched in March, and 26 are in their working orbit at about 509 kilometers, according to CNBC, which cited satellite tracker Orbital Radar.
“We are proud that we have begun doing this and that we have started doing it independently,” Putin said, as translated from Russian. “We are in close contact with our U.S. partners, including Mr Musk.”
“In orbit, it is very important not to interfere with one another and to adhere to certain rules, discipline, and order. Both we and our U.S. partners value this mutual understanding,” he added. “Together with Mr. Musk, despite all the political issues, we continue to work closely.”
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Earlier this month, Ukraine — which is engaged in a military conflict with Russia — accused SpaceX and Musk of restricting Starshield, the company’s satellite communications service for governments, per CNBC.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the restrictions slowed the country’s military satellite internet access, in turn hurting its defense.
There are conflicting reports about whether Musk or the U.S. government and President Donald Trump control Starshield. The commander in chief, 80, has said he did not order the restrictions, CNBC reported.
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