Senate Democrats on Thursday requested the Pentagon to review SpaceX as allegations surface that Chinese investors have secretly acquired stakes in the company, citing potential national security risks, a letter shows.
In a letter to the Pentagon, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and New Jersey’s Andy Kim raise concerns that Chinese investment in Elon Musk’s SpaceX could present a national security threat “potentially jeopardizing key military, intelligence, and civilian infrastructure.”
“In the case of SpaceX, we have concerns that Chinese investors could potentially gain access to nonpublic information about the company, including ‘details on its contracts or supply chain,’ giving China access to information and technology that could undermine U.S. national security,” the senators wrote.
Newsweek reached out to SpaceX, the Pentagon, the White House, Warren, and Kim by email on Thursday morning for comment.
Why It Matters
Democrats, already skeptical of Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government, said any links between SpaceX and one of the country’s biggest adversaries, China, could jeopardize national security and key military, intelligence and civilian infrastructure. Similar concerns have been raised in the past by lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, around China’s dominance in tech and manufacturing,
What To Know
The lawmakers cited media reports and court testimony to suggest that investors acted as intermediaries for Chinese funding that was routed through entities in the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands to make purchases of SpaceX shares.
They requested that the Department of Defense disclose the extent of any Chinese ownership in SpaceX and assess if the company should be subject to foreign investment review.
Multiple investigations and oversight efforts have emerged in recent years, with the House Armed Services and Science Committees demanding answers from the Department of Defense in May 2025 on potential conflicts of interest between NASA and SpaceX, allegations of Chinese investment cover-ups, and if there were any review processes on foreign ownership in contracts.
Also in 2025, ProPublica and BizTech Weekly published analysis and testimony around direct Chinese investment in SpaceX, with the former raising concerns about potential access to sensitive information. Musk himself has never commented publicly on the allegations.
China is seeking to directly compete with the U.S., and SpaceX, on rocket and satellite technology, with three reusable rocket projects underway in a similar fashion to Musk’s efforts, along with a rival to Starlink. Testing has been underway, with some successes, but just as in the U.S., the technology has some way to go.
What People Are Saying
The senators, in their letter to the Pentagon: “The mere proposition that an adversary nation such as China could have leverage and influence over a company such as SpaceX, one that underpins our national security apparatus, is an unacceptable risk.”
House and Senate members writing in May 2025: “The United States has long been the world leader in space exploration and in advancing technology in space to better life on earth. As SpaceX has become a key partner across both civil and national security space, conflicts of interest and foreign investment concerns should be swiftly and appropriately addressed.”
What Happens Next
Warren and Kim set a deadline of February 20 for a response.
Update 2/5/2026, 10:42 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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