Elon Musk’s influence over the skies above us is no longer theoretical — it’s measurable. Through SpaceX’s runaway launch cadence and Starlink’s sprawling satellite network, Musk now controls critical pieces of the world’s space infrastructure: launch capacity, low-Earth-orbit broadband, and growing influence over how militaries, businesses and civilians connect. That concentration of hardware and reach is reshaping geopolitics, commerce and the technical rules that govern outer space. All of the above gives Elon Musk control over space and communications, reports Space Foundation.
SpaceX’s launch dominance is stark. In the first half of 2025 the Space Foundation reported that SpaceX carried out more than half of the world’s orbital launches — a staggering market share made possible by the Falcon 9’s reusability and the company’s factory-style cadence. That dominant lift capability means SpaceX can place payloads into orbit more cheaply and quickly than many rivals, giving Musk strategic leverage over who gets access to space and on what timetable.
Elon Musk’s tight grip on space: How he shapes rocket launches, satellites, and global communications
Elon Musk control over space and communications also has to do with internet access. Musk’s company Starlink has grown into the planet’s largest commercial satellite internet operator.
Company updates and independent trackers show the constellation had thousands of satellites in orbit by early 2025, with regular batch launches adding capacity and global coverage. Those thousands of low-Earth-orbit terminals are now used for everything from remote civilian internet service to battlefield connectivity — a scale that transforms “Starlink from a consumer product into critical infrastructure,” as the company websites states.
Concentrated power
That fusion — launch capacity plus a vast communications network — creates concentrated power. SpaceX not only launches other people’s satellites, it also supplies operating broadband networks directly to end users and governments.
Analysts and commentators warn this vertical integration means Musk’s decisions can ripple across many domains: A launch delay can slow competitors, a change in Starlink policy can affect journalists, aid organizations, and armies that depend on it. Wired and major outlets argue that such combination amounts to “immense geopolitical power” when one entity controls both the highways to orbit and a major transit system in space.
According to Reuters, the consolidation has triggered regulatory and political pushback. U.S. oversight bodies and watchdogs have scrutinized license approvals and spectrum deals, and congressional panels have probed performance claims tied to government contracts.
Critics have urged regulators to weigh national-security and competition implications before green-lighting further spectrum or licensing steps for SpaceX. Those inquiries reflect a deeper unease: When a single private player provides services that intersect with defense, diplomacy and public safety, governments must decide how much control they are willing to cede or to what extent they are willing to give green light to monopolies.
Competitors and states are reacting
Governments in Europe and elsewhere are accelerating plans for independent constellations and domestic launch capability to avoid overreliance on a single provider. Industry rivals such as Blue Origin and new national launchers are pushing to carve out niches, but scaling to SpaceX’s cadence and price structure remains an uphill task.
For many nations, the calculus is strategic: Diversify suppliers, protect sensitive communications, and retain sovereign options in crises.
Musk’s defenders counter that SpaceX and Starlink provide enormous public good. Faster, cheaper launches have lowered barriers to scientific missions and commercial access; Starlink has connected remote clinics, ships and disaster zones where terrestrial infrastructure is poor. The company’s supporters say the technological benefits — cheaper access to orbit, improved global broadband — justify an aggressive business model and rapid scaling.
But the debate is no longer hypothetical. The practical questions — who controls access to space, how spectrum and orbital slots are allocated, and how to regulate privately owned infrastructure with public impact — demand policy answers.
Lawmakers and international bodies face a novel problem: the rise of private spacefaring empires with global reach. If history is a guide, regulation will lag innovation; meanwhile, the decisions of one man and his companies will keep shaping the rules of the road to orbit, The Washington Post reports.
For now, Musk’s grip combines technological prowess with economic scale: more launch windows, more satellites, and more users routed through a network he controls. That combination has moved space from the realm of nation states to a contested private commons — useful, revolutionary, and politically fraught all at once. And we’re not including Tesla, his electric automobile company, in the mix.