UPDATE In an about face, Elon Musk says his company SpaceX will continue funding the Starlink internet service being used on the ground in Ukraine. That’s despite previous warnings that the company would withdraw its services unless the Pentagon began paying a large share of the costs.
“The hell with it,” Musk wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”
SpaceX’s director of government sales told the Pentagon last month that it couldn’t continue funding Starlink in Ukraine, Inside Towers reported. It said the effort would cost $120 million over the next few months and nearly $400 million next year. “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time,” read the letter, shared by CNN.
The Ukrainian military has used Starlink technology to maintain communication both between troops and among civilians. It describes the service as reliable and mobile.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed on Friday the Department of Defense was in talks with SpaceX about the amount of government funding that would be given to support Starlink. She added that officials are “assessing our options and trying to do what we can to help keep these … capabilities to ensure that these communications remain for the Ukrainian forces.”
Musk said on Friday that Starlink’s operation in Ukraine was costing SpaceX about $20 million per month, according to The Hill. “In addition to terminals, we have to create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations & pay telcos for access to Internet via gateways,” he tweeted. “We’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder.”
Musk introduced Starlink service in Ukraine during the start of the Russian invasion in late February. Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov asked the billionaire to provide the technology.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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