WASHINGTON — SpaceX’s Starlink, the satellite tv for pc communications service began by billionaire Elon Musk, now has a US Department of Defense contract to purchase these satellite tv for pc providers for Ukraine, the Pentagon mentioned on Thursday.
“We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type,” the Pentagon mentioned in an announcement.
Starlink has been utilized by Ukrainian troops for a wide range of efforts, together with battlefield communications.
SpaceX, by way of personal donations and underneath a separate contract with a U.S. international help company, has been offering Ukrainians and the nation’s navy with Starlink web service, a fast-growing community of greater than 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, for the reason that starting of the warfare in 2022.
The Pentagon contract is a boon for SpaceX after Musk, the corporate’s CEO, mentioned in October it couldn’t afford to indefinitely fund Starlink in Ukraine, an effort he mentioned value $20 million a month to take care of.
Russia has tried to chop off and jam web providers in Ukraine, together with makes an attempt to dam Starlink within the area, although SpaceX has countered these assaults by hardening the service’s software program.
The Pentagon didn’t disclose the phrases of the contract, which Bloomberg reported earlier on Thursday, “for operational security reasons and due to the critical nature of these systems.” — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
