In what seems like a complete reversal of an earlier statement Elon Musk has said that Starlink will continue to provide internet service to Ukraine.
This news comes as a relief to the Ukrainian army who were worried about the future of their internet service. It is unclear how long this services will continue.
Elon Musk had said that his starlink company could not “indefinitely” fund Ukraine’s use of Starlink internet service and that the US government would have to step in and provide funding.
Elon Musk had made his comments on Twitter after CNN reported that SpaceX sent a letter to the Pentagon last month asking it to take over the funding of Ukraine’s use of Starlink.
Musk’s comments came as a surprise to many, as it was not clear why he would make such a statement.
However, it seems that he has had a change of heart and Starlink will continue to provide service to Ukraine.
This is good news for the Ukrainian army and it will be interesting to see how long this service lasts. It is clear that the Ukrainian army is highly dependent on this service and it will be a key factor in their ongoing conflict with Russia.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Elon Musk gave the Ukrainians a digital lifeline by providing them with the Starlink internet service operated by his rocket company, SpaceX.
Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet Service
Starlink internet service is beamed to users from space via satellites, providing high-speed internet connections.
It works by transporting data via light beams, which is then converted into an internet signal that can be used by computers.
This transfer is facilitated through a network of smaller satellites that communicate with ground receivers. The ground receivers are equipped with an antenna that picks up the signal and converts it into internet data.
The service has been praised for its high speeds and low latency, making it ideal for gaming and other online activities.
The service has been a godsend for the Ukrainian army, which has used it to communicate and coordinate during the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia and the Ukrainian army has been highly dependent on it to keep their soldiers connected to the outside world and also for their missile targeting.
So far roughly 20,000 Starlink satellite units have been donated to Ukraine, with Musk tweeting on Friday the “operation has cost SpaceX $80 million and will exceed $100 million by the end of the year.”
Just a week ago Ukrainian forces report had reported Starlink outages during push against Russia.
