Tesla owner Elon Musk has been heralded by his fanbase as the future of space technology. While the billionaire has certainly funded a lot of impressive space projects, the individual Musk isn't inventing new technologies like many pretend he is.
Nevertheless, Musk's employees’ inventions are paving the way for the evolution of space. However, with Musk as the owner, that also means they're paving the way for the privatisation of future space travel.
ESA Chief warns against Elon Musk
Reported by the Financial Times, European Space Agency director-general Josef Aschbacher warned against Musk's influence on the space industry. Aschbacher explained that the billionaire essentially creates the “rules” for space.
The ESA Chief states that one of the issues with Musk's hold on space is the usage of “commercial space”. Aschbacher uses Starlink as an example. The Musk-owned satellite internet offers decent speeds and coverage.
However, the constantly upgraded and expanded technology takes up space around Earth and destroys astrologers’ views. Additionally, outdated satellites are unused and remain floating in space, contributing to dangerous hordes of space junk.
Aschbacher said:
“Space will be much more restrictive [in terms of] frequencies and orbital slots. The governments of Europe collectively should have an interest to . . . give European providers equal opportunities to play on a fair market.”
Read More: Indian government asks public to boycott Starlink
Does the Tesla CEO own space?
The ESA director-general continued to argue that Musk is brute-forcing his way into owning space. With few competitors, and no current competitors with the sheer capital to compete, Elon Musk could end up creating the rules off-Earth.
He said:
“Space will be much more restrictive [in terms of] frequencies and orbital slots. The governments of Europe collectively should have an interest to . . . give European providers equal opportunities to play on a fair market.”
At the time of writing, SpaceX has been shooting up around 100 satellites on a monthly basis. As more satellites go up, they increasingly interfere with ground-based telescopes. This has drawn the ire of astronomers and researchers alike. However, the issues will only get worse.