Get Ready for Elon Musk's Outernet

“Starlink is indeed the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now.”

— Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital minister

You’ve heard of the internet…

But have you heard of the “outernet”?

The term refers to the internet of outer space, with the dream of perhaps setting up Wi-Fi on the moon or even mars.

NASA installed the first space Wi-Fi on the international space station in 2008, and now much of space is indeed wireless.

But for now, we can consider the thousands of satellites floating in our atmosphere to be the current iteration of the outernet.

According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, there are more than 11,000 satellites orbiting the Earth right now, with over 4,000 of them being Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink satellites. According to The New York Times, 53% of active satellites are Starlink.

We can already see them lighting up our skies.

Musk plans to deploy 42,000 satellites in the near future.

According to PCMag, half of U.S. internet customers are willing to try satellite internet.

Musk is the current leader in the outernet space race, and it's causing quite a global stir, as it can be dangerous for one person to hold a monopoly over the internet.

One positive aspect of the outernet is that it's closing what's known as the “digital divide.” If you’re not familiar, the digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to modern information and communication technologies — such as the internet, computers, smartphones, and other digital devices — and those who do not. It creates a seemingly insurmountable disparity that affects individuals, communities, and entire countries.

There are a number of factors that cause this phenomenon, including economic disparities, lack of infrastructure and resources, inadequate education and training, language barriers, social factors, etc. According to the International Telecommunication Union, as of 2021, it was estimated that about 2.9 billion people around the world do not have access to the internet. This number represents roughly 37% of the global population. The digital divide is most pronounced in developing countries, where access to the internet and digital technologies remains limited due to infrastructure, cost, and lack of education and awareness. In the U.S., rural and impoverished communities have the least access.

Closing the digital divide and ensuring universal access to the internet is an important goal for global development, as it can promote economic growth, social inclusion, and greater participation in the digital economy. Of the digital divide, NASA recently wrote, “Digital inequality or inadequate internet access is a socioeconomic concern across the United States, and the pandemic has worsened the divide. In Cleveland, home of NASA’s Glenn Research Center, a study by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance found that about 31% of the city’s households have no broadband access.”

People who can’t access the internet are at a severe disadvantage in this modern era. Sure, some people don’t want it, nor do they need it, but the resources available online could easily help people get access to information, education, jobs, and healthcare services. Not to mention, the consequences of the digital divide are far-reaching and can lead to increased inequality, social exclusion, and economic disadvantages. I think most people are in agreement that closing the gap would generally be a good thing for the world and should be a goal for us as a civilization.

Anecdotally, I’m hearing from more and more family and friends who are setting up their Starlink internet every day… and they love it. They say it’s a bit expensive but that the coverage is incredible.

It’s so incredible that the Ukrainian army is relying on it for drone strikes…

According to the Times, in a recent interview with Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi, “Ukraine’s battlefield decisions depended on the continued use of Starlink for communications… and his country wanted to ensure access and discuss how to cover the cost of the service.”

The article continues:

Starlink is often the only way to get internet access in war zones, remote areas and places hit by natural disasters. It is used in Ukraine for coordinating drone strikes and intelligence gathering. Activists in Iran and Turkey have sought to use the service as a hedge against government controls. The U.S. Defense Department is a big Starlink customer, while other militaries, such as in Japan, are testing the technology.

It’s left the Ukrainians wondering how to get in touch with Musk to make sure he doesn’t flip the switch and turn off their internet access.

And now the Russians are getting angry. According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia's testing a secretive weapon aimed at bringing down Starlink in Ukraine.

Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman sat down with CNBC to talk about space threats. He said, “The threats we face to our on-orbit capabilities from our strategic competitors [have] grown substantially… We’re seeing satellites that actually can grab another satellite, grapple with it, and pull it out of its operational orbit. These are all capabilities they’re demonstrating in-orbit today, and so the mix of these weapons and the pace with which they’ve been developing are very concerning."

Very concerning, indeed.

We all saw the Chinese spy balloon, too.

Get this: We now know that the balloon carried unknown surveillance technology, and it was hovering over the U.S. for ONE WHOLE WEEK before Biden shot it down.

Will we ever know what intel it captured?

This highlights the urgent need for investment in cutting-edge, space-age defense technology.

In fact, every year, the United States government spends more than $80 billion on a select group of secret military programs…

Otherwise known as the "Black Budget."

Within the budget are top-secret defense technologies that the average citizen can't access.

But our defense expert Jason Simpkins has tapped his contacts for intel.

What he found was that the technology created behind this black budget program is about to go mainstream…

And there's one tiny, little-known company that holds all the patents… giving you the opportunity to see gains as high as 26,221%… or more!

Stay frosty,

Alexander Boulden
Editor, Wealth Daily

Check us out on YouTube!

After Alexander’s passion for economics and investing drew him to one of the largest financial publishers in the world, where he rubbed elbows with former Chicago Board Options Exchange floor traders, Wall Street hedge fund managers, and International Monetary Fund analysts, he decided to take up the pen and guide others through this new age of investing.

Alexander is the investment director of Insider Stakeout — a weekly investment advisory service dedicated to tracking the smartest money on the planet so that his readers can achieve life-altering, market-beating returns. He also serves at the managing editor for R.I.C.H. Report, a comprehensive service that uses the highest-quality investment research and strategies that guides its members in growing their wealth on top of preserving it.

Check out his editor’s page here.

Want to hear more from Alexander? Sign up to receive emails directly from him ranging from market commentaries to opportunities that he has his eye on.