Pentagon contracts SpaceX to supply Starlink terminals to Ukraine
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The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a
contract with SpaceX to purchase Starlink
terminals for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Bloomberg reported on June 1.
The terminals are likely to be acquired as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
"We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need," the Pentagon said in a statement.
"Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type."
The DoD did not disclose any details about the contracts or its partners, citing security concerns. Bloomberg notes that the Pentagon previously announced in December that it would provide "satellite communication terminals and services" to Ukraine but did not specify the involvement of Elon Musk's company.
On April 29, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation revealed that there are currently 42,000 Starlink satellite internet terminals in operation across Ukraine. According to the head of the ,inistry, Mykhailo Fedorov, the state has not spent a single penny on them, as international partners have provided and paid for the equipment's operation on preferential terms.
In February, SpaceX announced that it had limited the use of Starlink internet by Ukrainian military for drone control. When asked about the news, Fedorov replied that "there are no problems with Starlink's performance today."
In October 2022, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a series of controversial tweets suggesting that Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Russia as part of his "peace plan." Musk's tweets sparked outrage among Ukrainian and foreign politicians, journalists, and activists. After the scandal, Musk stated that he still strongly supported Ukraine but feared escalation of the conflict with Russia, which he said introduces risks of an all-out nuclear war.
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