Ukraine will now be able to use a more secure and militarized version of Elon Musk’s satellite network
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reportedly secured a new Pentagon contract to expand Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite network and allow it to use the Starshield signal, which is said to be more classified and encrypted, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
According to the outlet, citing a statement by the Space Systems Command’s Commercial Satellite Office, a total of 3,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine will now have access to a more secure and militarized version of the Starlink satellite network. Starshield is considered more difficult to hack or jam.
Previously, Kiev had only 500 terminals connected to Starshield under an undisclosed contract that was reportedly awarded back in August amid US President Joe Biden’s push to step up military assistance to Ukraine.
The two contracts are set to provide service to Kiev into 2025, Bloomberg reported.
While the first 500-terminal agreement is believed to have been worth roughly $40 million, Space Systems Command has declined to disclose the dollar value of the new deal. SpaceX has yet to comment on the new contract.
While SpaceX has provided the Ukrainian military with Starlink internet terminals since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, Musk has been skeptical of Kiev’s ability to defeat Moscow’s forces on the battlefield and has repeatedly criticized continued US military and financial support for Kiev, calling for the conflict to be resolved through negotiations.
US President-elect Donald Trump, to whom Musk has emerged as a key adviser, has also repeatedly vowed to end the Ukraine conflict within “24 hours” of taking office. Although he has not offered any specifics about how he would achieve this, he has repeatedly hinted that he could use the threat of reduced US aid to force Kiev to negotiate with Moscow.
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