Russia has been the primary supplier of rocket engines for the United States. Now that we’ve cut the country out of the equation due to their invasion of Ukraine, it means that we have to get more creative – and SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, is certainly up for the challenge.
One of the reasons for the many space launches his company has performed has been to get Starlink satellites into place. These make it possible for the internet to be given to more people – particularly in remote areas.
Thanks to Musk’s humanitarian work, the people of Ukraine have been able to enjoy the Starlink satellites firsthand. By being able to have the internet, they’re able to communicate with family and friends that they have been separated from as a result of the invasion.
Dmitry Rogozin is the space agency chief for Russia. He was quite proud of the fact that Russia wouldn’t be supplying any rocket engines to the U.S. It was one of the ways that they could retaliate against the sanctions. He made the quip that we could “use broomsticks” to launch their rockets.
Well, guess what? We don’t need their stinkin’ engines. Instead, SpaceX used the Falcon 9 rocket, a partially reusable rocket that they’ve used many times before. This launch was their ninth this year using the Falcon 9.
“Time to let the American Broomstick fly and hear the sounds of freedom,” Julia Black, the SpaceX launch engineer said just seconds before liftoff.
This was a way for SpaceX to give the middle finger to Russia. It looks like Russia lost one of their bargaining blocks because we are able to use our “broomsticks” just fine, thank you very much.
Starlink is doing what many countries have been begging for – providing internet without all of the complicated infrastructure. High-speed internet is beamed down via satellites – and those satellites are placed in the atmosphere around remote areas as they orbit the earth.
Musk has already expanded this service into 14 countries and he’s awaiting licensing that will allow for him to provide high-speed internet into many other countries.
What’s funny is that Musk is doing what the federal government cannot – actually helping to improve the situation on the ground. The liberals in the Biden administration love to criticize Musk and say that he’s not paying enough taxes. Meanwhile, he’s over here making sure that SpaceX doesn’t need to depend on anything supplied from Russia. He’s also ensuring that the people of Ukraine have access to the internet for purposes of acquiring breaking news and communicating with the rest of the world.
Perhaps it’s time that Pelosi, Warren, and the rest of the liberals pay attention to all that Musk is doing. He can’t possibly pay any more in taxes. If they need more tax money, perhaps they need to look at all of the profits that Paul Pelosi has made from his wife’s position as Speaker of the House. That should easily fund a few rocket engines that NASA could use – or offer substantial funding to the military so that we are protected against any attacks Russia may be planning.
At least General James Dickinson, the commander of U.S. Space Command, is impressed by what Musk has been doing. During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, Dickinson pointed out that Russia has been doing its best to block coverage and jam signals so that Ukrainians don’t get what they need.
“What we’re seeing with Elon Musk and the Starlink capabilities is really showing us what a mega constellation or a proliferated architecture can provide in terms of redundancy and capability.”
Imagine what the U.S. could accomplish if they actually befriended Musk instead of constantly turning him into enemy number one…
