Amazon Conditions Would 'Hamstring' Starlink, SpaceX's Musk Tweets

"It does not serve the public to hamstring Starlink today for an Amazon satellite system that is at best several years away from operation," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday. He responded to a CNBC reporter's tweet about SpaceX's recent FCC lobbying on its pending modification to allow more than 2,800 planned satellites to orbit at a lower altitude (see 2101250037). Amazon raised red flags about orbital overlap with its planned Kuiper constellation (see 2012040001). "The facts are simple," Amazon later blogged. "We designed the Kuiper System to avoid interference with Starlink, and now SpaceX wants to change the design of its system. Those changes not only create a more dangerous environment for collisions in space, but they also increase radio interference for customers. Despite what SpaceX posts on Twitter, it is SpaceX’s proposed changes that would hamstring competition among satellite systems. It is clearly in SpaceX’s interest to smother competition in the cradle if they can, but it is certainly not in the public’s interest."