SpaceX’s Starlink gets Pentagon contract

SpaceX's Starlink, the satellite-communications service started by billionaire Elon Musk, now has a Department of Defense contract to buy those satellites for Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

We continue to work with a diverse range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the rugged satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite Communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communication network, and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Ukrainian troops use Starlink for a variety of activities, such as battlefield communication.

SpaceX, through private donations and a separate contract with a U.S. foreign aid agency, has been providing Ukraines and the country's military with Starlink internet service, a fast-growing network of more than 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit since the beginning of the war in 2022.

SpaceX's contract at the Pentagon is a boon for SpaceX, after Musk, the company's CEO, said in October it could not afford to indefinitely fund Starlink in Ukraine, an effort he said cost $20 million a month to maintain.

Russia has tried to shut down and block internet services in Ukraine, including attempts to block Starlink in the region, but SpaceX has countered those attacks by hardening the service's software.

The Pentagon did not reveal the terms of the contract, which Bloomberg reported earlier on Thursday, for operational security reasons and due to the critical nature of these systems.