America Is Risking Total Chaos in a Space War With China and Russia
A growing number of companies are racing to get into the space defense business—but a major conflict of interest scandal could be on the horizon.
One such company, True Anomaly, is using artificial intelligence to pilot small satellites that will be able to detect spy satellites from adversaries like China and Russia. In October, True Anomaly—which is backed by U.S. Senator JD Vance’s venture capital firm, Narya—plans to launch two vehicles for the U.S. Space Force on a rocket owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Companies like True Anomaly have raised concerns about whether the increasingly militarized frontiers of space should be privatized in the same way Musk is turning civilian space voyages into commercial enterprises. While private industry can launch high-tech satellites cheaper and faster than the government, some experts say that commercial space defense has its downsides.