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Modi talks space and 'good governance' with Musk in Washington
Musk's Starlink has long wanted to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's company.
Narendra Modi with Elon Musk / Image- X (Narendra Modi)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Feb. 13 in Washington where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation, Modi said in a post on X.
"Their discussion also touched on opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance, India's foreign ministry separately said in a statement.
Had a very good meeting with @elonmusk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation. I talked about India’s efforts towards reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.’ pic.twitter.com/7xNEqnxERZ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13, 2025
On Feb. 12, Reuters reported that Modi was slated to meet Musk during his trip this week to the United States, and Starlink's entry in the South Asian market could come up for discussion in the meeting.
Musk, a "special government employee" helming a disruptive effort to rid federal agencies of excessive spending, often serves as a key link between heads of state and SpaceX, which has dominated the global space industry with its vast Starlink network and its Falcon 9 launches that much of the Western world uses for space access.
Starlink has long wanted to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's company over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services. India's government has sided with Musk that spectrum should be assigned and not auctioned, but Starlink's licence application is still under review.
Musk's meeting with Modi drew the ire of some Democrats who say the billionaire executive's influential role in the Trump administration poses conflicts of interest.
"Musk is effectively operating as the Secretary of State, and he is meeting with a key foreign leader not to ask for concessions that would benefit Americans, but for concessions that would make him rich," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said of Musk's Modi talks in a post on X.
Given Musk's many powerful roles, it was unclear in what capacity he held his meeting with Modi.
"I would imagine he met possibly, because you know he's running a company," Trump told reporters on Feb. 13.
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