Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Technology

Elon Musk says Starlink network in Ukraine has not received U.S. funding

FILE PHOTO: SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks on a screen during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday SpaceX's Starlink services have not received any funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, a day after reports said The Pentagon is considering paying for Starlink satellite network in war-torn Ukraine.

SpaceX is losing approximately $20 million a month from unpaid service and costs related to security measures for cyberwar defense, but "we'll keep doing it (sigh)", Musk tweeted.

"No money from DoD, but several other countries, orgs & individuals are paying for ~11k/25k terminals," Musk said.

Musk, the world's richest person and chief executive of Tesla Inc, said SpaceX spends nearly $20 million a month for maintaining satellite services in Ukraine and that the company has spent about $80 million to enable and support and support Starlink there.

The Pentagon is considering paying for the service to Ukraine, Politico reported on Monday, citing two U.S. officials involved in the discussions.

(This story has been refiled to add dropped words at the end of the penultimate paragraph)

(Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.