Journalist confirms The Pentagon will purchase Starlink terminals for Ukraine, which Musk will not be able to disable

Journalist confirms The Pentagon will purchase Starlink terminals for Ukraine, which Musk will not be able to disable.

Mr. Musk, who leads SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter, has become the most dominant player in space as he has steadily amassed power over the strategically significant field of satellite internet. Yet faced with little regulation and oversight, his erratic and personality-driven style has increasingly worried militaries and political leaders around the world, with the tech billionaire sometimes wielding his authority in unpredictable ways.

In June 2023, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a Pentagon deal to buy 400 to 500 new Starlink terminals and services, according to the media outlet.

Two sources familiar with the contract stated that the Pentagon will gain control over the Starlink signal settings on the territory of Ukraine, so that the new devices will be able to implement the objectives.

As noted, this was done in order to provide Ukraine with terminals and services to perform tasks without fear of communication interruption.

The publication reminds that Musk disconnected access to some Starlink terminals in Ukraine.

About 1,300 Starlink terminals purchased through a British supplier stopped working in Ukraine at the end of 2022, after the government was unable to make monthly payments of $2,500 for each, according to two sources.

In addition, the publication reports that access to Starlink also changed depending on the course of the war, as Russia was conquering territories, and Ukraine was fighting to get them back. 

They also talked about Elon Musk.

General Zaluzhnyi raised the topic of Starlink, the satellite internet technology made by Mr. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, three people with knowledge of the conversation said. Ukraine’s battlefield decisions depended on the continued use of Starlink for communications, General Zaluzhnyi said, and his country wanted to ensure access and discuss how to cover the cost of the service.

General Zaluzhnyi also asked if the United States had an assessment of Mr. Musk, who has sprawling business interests and murky politics — to which American officials gave no answer.