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Democratic U.S. senators connected Thursday (February 5, 2026) urged the Pentagon to behaviour an contiguous reappraisal of SpaceX amid allegations that Chinese investors person secretly acquired stakes successful the intimately held rocket maker, citing potential nationalist information risks, according to a missive seen by Reuters.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim wrote to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, expressing interest that Chinese concern successful SpaceX could contiguous “a nationalist information threat, perchance jeopardizing cardinal military, intelligence, and civilian infrastructure.”
The lawmakers cited media reports and tribunal grounds suggesting that investors with ties to China routed funds done entities successful the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands to mask purchases of SpaceX shares.
Founded by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, SpaceX plays a cardinal relation successful U.S. nationalist information infrastructure, launching subject and quality satellites and operating its Starlink communications network, which is used by the Pentagon and to enactment Ukraine’s defense.
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The senators warned that immoderate Chinese ownership could trigger U.S. rules governing overseas ownership, power oregon influence, known arsenic FOCI, fixed the imaginable exposure of delicate accusation oregon technologies.
The missive asks the Department of Defence to disclose the grade of immoderate Chinese ownership, measure whether SpaceX is taxable to FOCI mitigation requirements, and find whether overseas investments should beryllium reviewed by the Committee connected Foreign Investment successful the United States.
The senators requested a response by February 20. SpaceX’s caller acquisition of xAI, which Mr. Musk has described arsenic “the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation motor connected (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile communications, and the world’s foremost real-time accusation and escaped code platform,” adds to the immediacy of questions astir Chinese concern successful the company, the senators argue.
