Musk backtracks, says Starlink service will continue in Ukraine

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX, abruptly reversed his decision Saturday, saying his company would continue to fund the operation of the Starlink internet service in Ukraine, where it has become a digital lifeline for both soldiers and civilians.

Musk, the world’s richest man, drew criticism Friday when he said on Twitter that his company could not “indefinitely” fund Ukraine’s use of Starlink. The service has been crucial for the Ukrainian army’s communication as it defends against continued Russian attacks.

CNN reported that SpaceX had sent a letter to the Pentagon last month asking it to take over the funding of Ukraine’s use of Starlink, which is built and operated by SpaceX. But Saturday, Musk changed course posting on Twitter.

“The hell with it,” he wrote. He added that “even though Starlink is still losing money” and “other companies are getting billions” in tax dollars, “we’ll just keep funding” the Ukrainian government for free.

Musk had helped provide Ukraine with access to the service after Russia invaded in late February. About 20,000 Starlink terminals, which were designed to work with satellites orbiting in space to provide online access, have been delivered to Ukraine.

It is not completely clear who is footing the bill for the service. A document obtained by the New York Times showed that as of September, Starlink terminals had been funded in part by three Western governments: the United States, the United Kingdom and Poland.

The document showed that while SpaceX donated about 3,000 terminals to Ukraine, other governments and allies provided funds for nearly 17,000. Musk has previously said that SpaceX is footing the monthly bill for the service that is streamed to the terminals.