Musk Asks Pentagon to Fund Ukraine's Starlink

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Elon Musk's SpaceX has said it can no longer pay for Starlink in Ukraine, which has become a critical satellite service for the country as they continue to fight against Russia, and has requested that the US Dept. of Defense take over funding the service.
  • SpaceX reportedly sent a letter to the Pentagon saying that to continue operations, the company requires tens of millions of dollars in support monthly. The letter argues that the financial stress of repeatedly replacing destroyed units was not feasible for the company.
  • The company asserts that Ukraine operations would cost $120M for the rest of 2022, and could command close to $400M over the next 12 months.
  • Nearly 20K Starlink satellite units have been provided to Ukraine. Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently said in a tweet that SpaceX's Starlink services have helped to restore energy and communications infrastructure in Ukraine.
  • The funding request comes as reports of widespread Starlink outages impacting Ukrainian troops in eastern and southern Ukraine and comments by Elon Musk about a Ukrainian surrender of Crimea have caused a barrage of criticism - including from Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
  • Per the company's statistics reportedly shared with the Pentagon, approximately 85% of the 20K units in Ukraine were fully or partially paid for by countries like the US and Poland or other groups.

Sources: Independent, Washington Examiner, MSN, cnbctv18, FT, and CNN.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Gizmodo. It's absurd that Elon Musk, who is not an elected official, has so much power over critical technology, like the ability to provide satellite internet to Ukraine. SpaceX has a "heroic" reputation even though many of its services are funded by outside entities. Musk needs to take a step back, take cues from governments who contract with SpaceX, and stop commenting on peace-making efforts if these services are being used for the public good.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Teslarati. Freedom isn't free, so why should a private space firm support Ukraine's satellite internet for free? SpaceX is spending about $20M per month on Ukraine’s Starlink satellite internet service - it's reasonable for the Pentagon to put more skin in the game to further national security goals. Musk has done an amazing job of filling a void with private innovation.