TERMINAL

Musk’s SpaceX Wants Pentagon to Fund Starlink Operation in Ukraine: CNN

“We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time,” an executive wrote.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX says it needs another party to foot the bill for the Starlink satellite service it has set up in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion, turning to the Pentagon even as Ukrainian officials beg the company to expand its operation, according to CNN. Documents obtained by the outlet include a letter from a SpaceX executive to U.S. defense officials, bluntly stating: “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.” The September letter outlines how the Starlink program in Ukraine is expected to cost SpaceX more than $120 million for the rest of the year, and nearly $400 million over the next 12 months. The reported projections outpace public disclosures by Musk, who said in a tweet last week that the operation had cost his company “$80M & will exceed $100M by end of year.” Included among the documents sent to the Pentagon was a July letter to Musk from General Valerii Zaluzhniy, a Ukrainian commander, asking for close to 8,000 more terminals. SpaceX has donated roughly 20,000 Starlink kits to Ukraine since the outbreak of war in February, according to CNN.