Elon Musk said this week his rocket company SpaceX cannot fund its Starlink internet service in Ukraine indefinitely.
QUICK FACTS:
- SpaceX owner Elon Musk said in a tweet Friday that the company cannot continue to fund its internet service in Ukraine indefinitely.
- Starlink, Musk’s space-based internet communication system that the billionaire provided to Ukraine, has helped civilians and military access the web while the country has been at war with Russia.
- “SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely *and* send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households. This is unreasonable,” Musk said in a tweet Friday.
- “We’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting hard,” the billionaire continued.
ELON MUSK’S DECISION TO PULL STARLINK INTERNET AFTER A UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TOLD HIM OFF:
“We’re just following his recommendation,” Musk said.
BACKGROUND:
- SpaceX reportedly sent a letter to the Pentagon last month claiming they could not continue to fund Starlink in Ukraine unless the United States military could provide the company with millions of dollars each month.
- Musk activated Starlink in the country in Feb. 2022, after internet services were halted following Russia’s invasion.
- Musk’s remarks Friday come just days after Ukrainian Ambassador Andrij Melnyk told him off.
