In the War in Ukraine, SpaceX has emerged as an unlikely military supplier for the Ukrainians, with around 15,000 Starlink satellites donated since April 2022. The key word being donated, with SpaceX’s Starlink donations reaching a self-reported $80 million and the expense planned to exceed $100 million by the end of the year. According to Elon Musk, of the 25,300 terminals sent to Ukraine only 10,630 pay for the service; mainly Ukrainian civilians who heavily utilize the internet service in times of spotty connections. These terminals have been a godsend for both Ukrainian civilians and military forces, including playing a vital role in the Siege of Mariupol, where thanks to Starlink terminals, besieged soldiers and civilians could communicate outside of the encircled city. But why are these terminals dominating the news again?
Musk raised quite a stir on Oct. 15 when on Twitter the CEO tweeted out: “The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.” Immediately this tweet gained attention, controversy and admiration across Twitter, amassing over 500,000 likes. Previously, Musk has been criticized heavily for his over-use of Twitter, with some tweets earlier in October demonstrating how he would solve the Ukrainian War receiving a response of “Fuck Off” from a Ukrainian diplomat. This planned pull-out of Starlink threatened by Musk seems especially petty, with Musk quoting the Ukrainian diplomat in his tweet explaining the lack of funding. Still the US government’s response was muted during this period until Oct. 19.
In a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Defense Department’s press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder kept the Pentagon’s reply brief, stating simply that: “What an individual company may or may not do in any particular corner of the world of course is incumbent on that company to decide and do.” Further in this press release, Brig. Gen. Ryder asserts the process required for military contracts, indirectly telling SpaceX and Musk to stick with the process for Pentagon funding. Still these demands only nail in a final point, as on Oct. 17, Musk tweeted that officially: “SpaceX has already withdrawn its request for funding [from the Department of Defense].” After a multi-day tantrum, Musk eventually fell back in line with the US government in Ukraine.
While today SpaceX has not secured funding, this is not a difficult barrier for the Rocketry company to cross. SpaceX has cooperated numerous times in the past with the U.S. Military, and as Gen. Ryder hinted towards the end of his press conference: “But when it comes to the broader issue of providing satellite communication to Ukraine, we are in discussions with SpaceX as well as other companies to look at how best to provide that service.” Only the future may tell of what will happen next in Ukraine, but the militarization of space is increasingly becoming another worrying aspect.