Musk says SpaceX won't cut Starlink in Ukraine if US denies funding - Business Insider

• Elon Musk said SpaceX wouldn't halt Starlink successful Ukraine adjacent if the Pentagon declined to money it.
• Ukraine's vice premier curate said Musk confirmed Starlink would support moving anterior to backing talks.
• SpaceX asked the Pentagon to money Starlink successful Ukraine due to the fact that the institution said it couldn't spend it.

Elon Musk said SpaceX wouldn't power disconnected its Starlink net work successful Ukraine adjacent if the US authorities declined to money the project.

The billionaire has precocious expressed however expensive it has been for SpaceX to support moving Starlink successful Ukraine portion the warfare with Russia wages on. SpaceX asked the Department of Defense (DoD) successful September to money the outer net work successful the state due to the fact that the institution said it couldn't spend it, CNN recently reported.

Musk said connected Sunday successful effect to a Teslarati nonfiction posted connected Twitter: "Before DoD adjacent came backmost with an answer, I told Mykhailo Fedorov that SpaceX would not crook disconnected Starlink adjacent if DoD refused to supply funding."

Fedorov, Ukraine's vice premier curate and curate of integer transformation, replied to Musk's tweet, saying earlier the discussions astir funding, the SpaceX CEO confirmed to him that helium would guarantee Starlink would proceed to tally successful Ukraine.

"This was critically important for Ukraine. We are grateful to you!" Fedorov wrote successful the tweet. 

Musk replied to Fedorov: "You're astir welcome."

SpaceX didn't instantly respond to Insider's petition for remark made extracurricular of US operating hours.

Since Starlink was activated successful Ukraine aft Russia's invasion, the institution has sent thousands of net terminals to the state and reports suggest Starlink has helped Ukrainian troops enactment online during the war.

Despite this, Musk has said SpaceX was burning astir $20 cardinal per period to support the work moving successful Ukraine and Starlink was losing money. According to documents seen by CNN, SpaceX expected the outgo of operating Starlink successful Ukraine to adhd up to much than $120 cardinal for the remainder of 2022 and astir $400 cardinal implicit the adjacent year.

Although Musk said the costs were "unreasonable," helium past backtracked connected his refusal and said SpaceX would proceed to money Starlink successful Ukraine.

Politico reported connected October 17 that the Pentagon has discussed whether to money Starlink, according to 2 US officials progressive with the project. The European Union is besides considering paying for Starlink successful Ukraine implicit concerns the billionaire would crook disconnected the net work successful the country, Lithuania's overseas curate Gabrielius Landsbergis, told Politico.

Musk said connected October 17 that SpaceX had already withdrawn its request to the Pentagon for funding.