SpaceX Contract to Supply Starlink in Ukraine Is Worth $23 Million
- Elon Musk had voiced unease about Starlink’s use in Ukraine
- Defense Department had declined to disclose size of contract
A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a Starlink antenna near Bakhmut.
Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The Pentagon revealed that its contract to deploy Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals in Ukraine is worth $23 million, finally putting a dollar figure on a deal that has embroiled one of the world’s richest men in the Russia conflict — sometimes to his own chagrin.
A US official, who asked not to be identified because details of the contract haven’t been previously disclosed, characterized the service as a vital part of the security assistance the US is providing to Ukraine. The contract to supply SpaceX’s Starlink communications terminals runs from June of last year through next month, and the official declined to say if it would be renewed.