Space

Musk Strikes Starlink Deal With Saudi Arabia During Trump Visit

Elon Musk is directed to greet the Saudi Crown Prince at the Royal Court in Riyadh on May 13.
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

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By Omar El Chmouri and Leen Al-Rashdan

May 13, 2025 at 5:15 PM UTC

Elon Musk said Saudi Arabia will authorize the use of his company SpaceX’s Starlink service for aviation and maritime shipping as the kingdom strikes about $600 billion in investment commitments during President Donald Trump’s visit.

The billionaire announced the news at a summit held in Riyadh and attended by dozens of US executives, including other Big Tech leaders including OpenAI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and Amazon.com Inc. chief Andy Jassy.