When it comes to rocket sales, Russia is at war with Ukraine, and the world’s wealthiest man is at war with Russia.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, turned to Twitter on Thursday to launch verbal missiles at Russia’s space agency’s director, less than 24 hours after the nation said it would stop supplying rocket engines to the United States.
“American Broomsticks,” Musk tweeted, with a video of a recent SpaceX launch and a screenshot of words made by the president of the state space agency, implying that the United States could not get to space without Russian engines.
“We can not equip the United States with our world’s greatest rocket engines in this circumstance.” Allow them to fly on anything other than their broomsticks, I am not sure what,” Dmitry Rogozin stated on Russian state television.
According to Rogozin, 122 RD-180 engines have been shipped to the United States during the 1990s, with 98 having previously been utilized in NASA missions.
Russia’s decision comes after the United States and its allies imposed a slew of economic penalties in the aftermath of their invasion of Ukraine. In the past week, the sanctions have essentially decimated the Russian economy.
Musk the internet provider to besieged Ukraine
While dealing with many legal concerns in the United States, Musk has injected himself directly into the Ukrainian war.
Musk fulfilled a commitment to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov earlier this week by delivering Starlink terminals into the combat zone and assisting the government in connecting to SpaceX’s satellite-based internet network, enabling internet access to many Ukrainians.
The SEC is apparently investigating Musk and his brother for insider trading in the United States, and Tesla may be unionizing. On the heels of President Joe Biden’s pro-labor State of the Union speech, Musk challenged a union to conduct a vote at a Tesla facility on Thursday.
It is not the first time Musk has injected himself into a global crisis to further his financial interests and cement his status as one of the world’s most powerful individuals.
As the coronavirus epidemic expanded throughout the globe in early 2020, Musk declared that Tesla will begin producing ventilators to aid hospitals in their fight against COVID-19.
Starlink, founded by Elon Musk, is a lifeline for the internet
SpaceX verified on March 4 that it had deployed 47 Starlink satellites to Ukraine. It is unknown if more will be sent in the following weeks.
Musk released a number of Starlink software upgrades on Thursday, aimed at making it simpler for Ukrainians to access the internet while on the go.
“Updating software to lower peak power use so Starlink may be charged from the cigarette lighter in your vehicle.” “Mobile roaming activated,” Musk said on Twitter, “so phased array antenna can keep signal while on moving vehicle.”
Musk’s most recent announcement came in the form of a warning to Ukrainians who use Starlink networks to access the internet: “Caution: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still operational in portions of Ukraine, therefore the chances of being targeted are considerable.” In a tweet, he cautioned, “Please use with care.”