John,
Elon Musk wants to privatize NASA so he and other billionaires can run the nation’s space program without government oversight.
Musk’s SpaceX-Starlink has already received nearly $20 billion from NASA and the Department of Defense to build up the U.S. space program. Now, his company dominates America’s space program:
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Musk controls half of America’s functioning satellites.
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In 2023 alone, more than 90% of all U.S. satellite launches -- 1,900 out of 2,100 objects -- were Starlink satellites.
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Ultimately, Musk plans to have over 40,000 satellites in orbit, granting him near-total dominance over space-based communications.
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Starlink satellites already play a crucial role in battlefield operations in Ukraine
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As an unelected private citizen with no military background or experience, Musk has extraordinary influence over military movements and communications.
Now, Musk wants to cut out NASA altogether, handing over dominance in space to private industry. If he succeeds, he’ll gain unparalleled military and civilian power, dictate how space is developed, and eliminate critical safety and transparency regulations.
The oversight that protects safety, accountability, and the public interest would be replaced by a billionaire boys’ club. America’s space program should not be controlled by the ultra-rich for their own profit, focused on resource extraction and private lunar manufacturing facilities.
Send Congress a direct message today to demand legislation that will protect and defend NASA as a publicly owned and managed space agency -- not the personal empire of the wealthiest few. We must not allow private entities to monopolize the exploration of space.
Musk is also determined to bring NASA under his control in order to eliminate competition. Right now, NASA ensures that private companies compete in bidding for space contracts. That’s how Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin beat out SpaceX for $11.5 billion in NASA and U.S. Space Force funding. Musk doesn’t just want to win contracts: he wants to own it all.
And the billionaires pushing for total control over space? They’re the same ones fueling the climate crisis here on Earth. The black soot from their rockets released into the upper atmosphere warms the planet at a rate 500 times greater than commercial airplanes flying at lower altitudes.
Rockets also release ozone-destroying pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, aluminum oxide, hydrochloric acid, and chlorine. The same people responsible for wreaking havoc on Earth’s climate should not be handed control over space. NASA must remain America’s public, democratic space agency -- not a billionaire’s playground.
Tell Congress to protect and defend NASA from privatization before it’s too late.
Thank you for keeping ownership of the nation’s space program in public hands!
- DFA AF Team
