Elon Musk stated that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is currently accessible in Ukraine, with further terminals on the way.
Musk’s post was in response to a request from a Ukrainian government official, who asked whether Musk might assist the country’s residents in gaining internet connection in the face of persistent Russian strikes.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation, addressed Elon Musk directly in his request:
“While you attempt to populate Mars, Russia attempts to conquer Ukraine!” While your rockets successfully arrive in orbit, Russian missiles hit the civilian population of Ukraine! We request that you offer Starlink stations to Ukraine and urge rational Russians to stand,” Fedorov stated.
Musk responded roughly ten hours later, noting on Twitter that Starlink’s satellite internet service is already operational in Ukraine. “Starlink is currently operational in Ukraine. Additional terminals are on the way,” Musk answered.
The Ukrainian official’s tweet to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was unsurprising, given that the country’s internet access has been harmed by Russia’s continuing invasion.
This is especially true in the country’s south and east, where the combat between Ukrainian and Russian troops was most severe. This was reported on Thursday by internet monitoring provider Netblocks.
Given that Starlink is intended to deliver high-speed and consistent internet access to rural places worldwide, the satellite internet system is anticipated to be especially beneficial to Ukrainian civilians now impacted by the conflict.
Since 2019, SpaceX has launched over 2,000 Starlink satellites, which is amazing but only a fraction of the constellation’s anticipated size of up to 14,000 satellites.
SpaceX’s Starlink launches have been consistent in recent months, with the most recent one occurring on Friday, when Musk’s private space agency launched 50 new satellites into orbit. Starlink’s next mission is scheduled to launch next week, on March 3, 2022.