The Pentagon announced SpaceX’s Starlink, a satellite communications service founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has secured a Department of Defense contract to provide satellite services to Ukraine.
The Pentagon stated that they are committed to collaborating with global partners to ensure Ukraine’s access to robust satellite and communication capabilities.
Starlink has already been utilized by Ukrainian troops for various purposes, including battlefield communications. Since the onset of the war in 2022, SpaceX has been supplying Starlink internet service to Ukrainians and the country’s military through private donations and a separate contract with a U.S. foreign aid agency. The Starlink network, consisting of over 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, has experienced rapid growth.
This Pentagon contract comes as a welcome development for SpaceX, especially after Elon Musk, the CEO of the company, stated in October that sustaining Starlink in Ukraine indefinitely would not be financially feasible. He estimated the monthly cost of maintaining the initiative to be $20 million.
