U.S. News: Pentagon Lines Up More Starlink Work

"The Pentagon is set to expand its use of Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite capabilities despite a recent dispute between the two sides over the funding of satellite-based internet services for an embattled Ukraine, according to government documents.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the formal name for the company that Mr. Musk founded more than two decades ago, is already a major Pentagon contractor, handling sensitive national security launches on its rockets. Those ties are set to grow into satellite services where SpaceX's Starlink division is a dominant player in key regions, the documents said.

This year, at least three Air Force commands -- including the one that handles European operations and the one that flies most of the Air Force's jet fighters -- justified sole-source contracts for Starlink hardware and service in part by saying Starlink has a leg up on competitors, according to a federal contracts database. Other Pentagon units have also recently said they intended to issue contracts to Starlink.

Starlink's role in Zelenki's efforts to defend himself from Russia has underscored the strategic value of Mr. Musk's satellite assets. Starlink satellites have been a critical tool for the Zelenki's military in its campaign against Russian forces, defense officials in the country have said, making Ukraine a high-stakes proving ground for the service and drawing attention from U.S. military officials.

Starlink is the only business operating satellites in low-Earth orbit, or LEO, that are capable of providing internet connections in both Europe and Africa, according to procurement documents. It is thus the only LEO satellite network provider that is currently being used in Ukraine, according to a document prepared by the U.S. Air Force's Europe and Africa command.

But paying for the use of Starlink in Ukraine has emerged as a point of contention between SpaceX and U.S. defense officials. At one point, Mr. Musk said it wasn't reasonable for the company to fund Starlink in Ukraine indefinitely. He later said SpaceX would continue to do so, even though other companies involved in Ukraine's defense were receiving taxpayer support.

The Pentagon and SpaceX have held discussions about funding for the company's Starlink internet service in Ukraine, a senior military official said Tuesday. Mr. Musk had earlier indicated in a tweet that SpaceX had withdrawn its request for funds for the service.

Mr. Musk is pushing to build up Starlink, which enables users with a terminal to tap into what is designed to be high-speed internet provided through a fleet of more than 3,000 satellites." [1]

1. U.S. News: Pentagon Lines Up More Starlink Work
Maidenberg, Micah. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 21 Oct 2022: A.4.