Since the start of the war in Ukraine, SpaceX has delivered thousands of terminals there which provide an Internet connection through a constellation of satellites forming the Starlink network.
Some 25,000 terminals have been deployed in the country so far, according to Elon Musk.
The SpaceX chief executive says the operation has already cost the company US$80 million (C$111 million) and the bill is expected to reach US$100 million (C$138 million) by the end of it. of the year.
On Friday, the fiery entrepreneur warned that the space company it is [pouvait] not continue to fund the existing system indefinitely and send thousands of additional terminals […]. This is not reasonnable.
SpaceX challenges the Pentagon
According to CNN, SpaceX sent a letter to the Pentagon last month advising it could no longer afford the costs for the service in Ukraine.
The company was, according to CNN, asking the US Department of Defense to take over funding for the use of Starlink by the Ukrainian government and its military, which was estimated to cost US$400 million ($555 million Cdn). ) for the next 12 months.
The Starlink network has helped maintain internet coverage in areas of Ukraine hit by the Russian military. By June, about 15% of Ukraine’s existing internet infrastructure had been destroyed or damaged, authorities said.
Ukrainian telecommunications operators have also been targeted by numerous cyberattacks.
Elon Musk assures that with the exception of a low percentage
the entire cost of deploying and maintaining Starlink terminals in Ukraine was borne by SpaceX.
But the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said in April that it had purchased 1,330 terminals from SpaceX for delivery to Ukraine.