Separate Internet for war: SpaceX signs first deal to launch Starshield satellite network
Alternatives to Starlink for the government
Elon Musk, concerned about SpaceX’s “potential involvement in the war in Ukraine,” launches an alternative satellite Internet network that the US government can use for its own benefit.
SpaceX has signed its first contract with the US Space Force to launch the government’s Starshield satellite network, Bloomberg reports. The idea, first announced in December, came closer to fruition after Elon Musk’s statements about SpaceX’s role in the war in Ukraine and its refusal to activate Starlink near Crimea, which resulted in the disruption of a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian fleet.
SpaceX describes Starshield as a “secure satellite network for government agencies” that will be offered in parallel with the standard Starlink for civilians. The services will be provided via SpaceX Starlink satellites that are already in operation.
The contract was signed on September 1 and will be valid for a year – according to the document, SpaceX will provide “end-to-end Starshield service through the Starlink constellation, user terminals, support equipment, network management, and other related services.” The maximum contract amount is $70 million, of which the company should receive $15 million by the end of this month. The network is expected to support 54 mission partners in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote in X that “Starshield will be owned by the U.S. government and controlled by the Department of Defense Space Force,” leaving Starlink as a “civilian network” that is “not a combatant.”
BREAKING: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has just won a major first contract with the US Spaceforce for Starshield.
Details:
– Starshield provides customized satellite communications for national security use.
– The deal, with a ceiling of $70 million, will “provide for Starshield… pic.twitter.com/Rm2wsESTd1
– Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) September 27, 2023
