SpaceX has supplied around 25,000 Starlink ground terminals to Ukraine since the war began. Musk says this has cost the company $80 million and will exceed $100.
In brief: Elon Musk has seemingly backtracked on his claim that SpaceX cannot keep funding Starlink in Ukraine indefinitely. The CEO now says the company will continue paying for the service and providing terminals to the country’s government.
SpaceX has supplied around 25,000 Starlink ground terminals to Ukraine since the war began. Musk says this has cost the company $80 million and will exceed $100 million by the end of the year. Additionally, SpaceX must create, launch, maintain and replenish satellites and ground stations, and pay telcos for access to the Internet via gateways, all of which costs close to $20 million per month. Musk also noted that the terminals have data usage 100x greater than typical households.
According to a CNN report, SpaceX’s director of government sales sent a letter to the Pentagon last month warning that it cannot supply more Starlink satellites and indefinitely fund existing ones in Ukraine. It estimates the costs could reach almost $380 million over the next 12 months and wants the US government to foot the bill.
