Pentagon to Pay SpaceX for Satellite Internet in Ukraine.

"The Pentagon agreed to pay SpaceX to offer satellite internet in Ukraine, after months of discussion about whether the military would fund the service.

A spokesman for the Defense Department on Thursday confirmed a deal with Starlink, as SpaceX's satellite-powered internet division is called.

He declined to discuss specifics about the contract, such as its value, citing security concerns.

"We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the satellite and communication capabilities they need -- and that includes Starlink," he said. SpaceX didn't respond to a request to comment.

Starlink has played a prominent role during the conflict, providing high-speed connections to Ukrainian government agencies and armed forces. Elon Musk made the service available in the country in February of last year, two days events in Ukraine started and following a request from a Ukrainian government minister.

In October, Musk said SpaceX spending on Starlink for Ukraine was approaching $20 million a month and that the company couldn't fund the service in Ukraine indefinitely. Musk then backtracked and said on Twitter the company would continue paying for Starlink in Ukraine on its own.

Outside funders also have paid for Starlink user terminals for Ukraine, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Polish government.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president, said in February the company would limit Starlink service in Ukraine to prevent offensive military use of the terminals.

Ukrainian soldiers told The Wall Street Journal at the time that Starlink was largely working as normal for front-line units, but some had reported issues with terminals attached to strike drones.

The Pentagon agreement with SpaceX would be a boost for Ukraine's effort, since Starlink is used to facilitate critical military communications.

It is often used, for example, by reconnaissance teams who send drones over Russian positions and use a Starlink setup at their location to beam live video to artillery commanders and to talk via encrypted chats to direct artillery strikes, the Journal has reported.

Along with a rocket-launch division, Starlink is one of the two main businesses SpaceX operates. The service relies on a swarm of linked satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide what are designed to be high-speed internet connections to users on the ground.

The company has around 4,000 satellites in orbit and regularly launches additional satellites using its fleet of Falcon 9 rockets.

In May, Starlink said in a tweet it had more than 1.5 million customers." [1]

1. Business News: Pentagon to Pay SpaceX for Satellite Internet in Ukraine. Maidenberg, Micah; Luxmoore, Matthew. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 02 June 2023: B.3.