Putin: Russia in 'close contact' with 'genius' Musk over satellite networks

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as a "real genius" during a discussion on satellite technology at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. Putin and Musk are reportedly maintaining close contact on the matter, as Russia develops its own satellite internet project called Rassvet. The Russian leader highlighted the importance of collaboration between Russia and Musk's company SpaceX to avoid potential interference between their respective satellite systems in orbit.

Rassvet currently has only a few dozen satellites in orbit, compared to SpaceX's Starlink, which has launched around 13,000 satellites. The Russian Embassy in South Africa described Rassvet as "Russia's Starlink alternative" and noted it marks the country's first steps in this field. Despite ongoing political tensions, including Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the US and Russia seem to be forging a closer relationship, even as Ukraine faces connectivity issues with Starlink following Russia's military actions.