Elon Musk activates SpaceX Starlink service over Ukraine
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Ukraine’s vice Prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov was thrilled with Mr Musk’s assistance, confirming on Wednesday that Starlink stations had arrived in the country. He tweeted on Wednesday: “Received the second shipment of Starlink stations. “Elon Musk keeps his word! Thank you for supporting Ukraine and peace in the entire world.”
And the SpaceX CEO acknowledged Ukraine’s gratitude.
He responded: “You’re welcome.”
The multi-billionaire, who is also the CEO of Tesla, included Tesla Powerwalls in his care package that was shipped to Ukraine.
The Tesla walls allow the solar/battery packs and generators are expensive Tesla Powerwalls, which are essentially intelligent home battery packs.
Mr Musk said: “We have also sent power adapters for car cigarette lighters, solar/battery packs and generators for places where electricity is not available.”
It comes after Mr Fedorov first publicly called on Mr Musk for help by providing the Starlink satellites which send internet signals to hard reach areas of the world.
The SpaceX CEO’s Starlink satellites arrived just two days later.
Mr Musk also announced that SpaceX updated its Starlink software “to reduce peak power consumption, so Starlink can be powered from a car cigarette lighter.
“Mobile roaming enabled, so phased array antenna can maintain signal while on moving vehicle.”
Starlink’s satellites provide a low-Earth orbit internet service that SpaceX has been building out for the past several years.
It is a constellation of connected satellites that, in theory, will be able to provide high-speed internet to large swaths of the world.
But this also comes after Mr Musk warned that his Starlink satellites were at risk of being attacked by the Russians amid the Ukraine conflict.
He warned that in “some parts of Ukraine”, his Starlink satellites were only “non-Russian communications system still working”.
Mr Musk claimed that this is why they could potentially be targeted in a Russian attack.
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He urged Ukrainians to “use with caution”.
Mr Musk is advising users to only turn on Starlink when it is absolutely needed.
He has also stressed that antennas must be placed as far away from people as possible.
So far, SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 of these satellites and put nearly 100 satellites into orbit this week alone on two separate launches.
The entire constellation is planned to have more than 4,000 satellites when complete.
But Mr Musk’s warning also came after US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Director Christopher Scolese said Russia’s military could target satellites.
He warned this would disrupt communications and GPS services.
Speaking at the National Security Space Association’s Defense and Intelligence Space Conference, he said: “I think we’re seeing pretty clearly that Russia is committed to doing what they want to do in Ukraine, and they want to win.
“So I think it’s fair to assume that, to the extent that they can, and to the extent that they feel it won’t extend the conflict out of their control, that they will extend it into space.”
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