Sharon Juve: Who controls space? Privatization has risks

To The Daily Sun,

As I watched a SpaceX rocket blaze through the atmosphere, its booster returning to Earth with flawless precision, I felt awe. But as I marveled at this technological feat, a chilling realization surfaced: America no longer controls the final frontier.

NASA, once the vanguard of exploration, now relies on private companies like SpaceX for critical missions. While privatization has driven innovation, it also poses an existential risk: one billionaire now holds the keys to U.S. space access. Unlike NASA, a government agency accountable to the public, SpaceX answers only to Elon Musk — a private foreign-born businessman whose interests transcend national borders and democratic oversight.

This isn’t just about business — it’s about national security. The risks aren’t hypothetical — they’re already happening. Musk personally denied Starlink access to Ukraine during a critical battlefield moment, effectively altering military strategy. Reports reveal that Starlink terminals have been smuggled to U.S. adversaries like Russia, undermining sanctions and aiding hostile forces. Musk’s cozy ties with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping raise urgent questions: What stops him from selling advanced rocket or satellite tech to foreign powers? Even U.S. officials have flagged his failure to safeguard classified technology as a serious threat.

Space is now a battlefield. Satellites dictate military operations, and control of launch systems is as strategically vital as nuclear weapons. Yet this immense power rests in the hands of one man who operates without accountability.

If we don’t act, the future of space won’t be written by nations — it will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Congress must act urgently before America loses its grip — not to exploration, but to exploitation and weaponization.

Sharon Juve

Meredith