Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Starlink is the name of a satellite network developed by the private spaceflight company SpaceX to provide low-cost internet to remote locations.
A Starlink satellite has a lifespan of approximately five years(opens in new tab) and SpaceX eventually hopes to have as many as 42,000 satellites in this so-called mega constellation.
The current version of each Starlink satellite weighs approximately 573 lbs. (260 kilograms), according to Spaceflight Now(opens in new tab). As of November 2022, there are 3,271 Starlink satellites in orbit, of which 3,236 are operational, according to Astronomer Jonathan McDowell who tracks the constellation on his website.
SpaceX has moved to restrict the Ukrainian military’s use of its satellite internet service, notably used to control drones, as Kyiv fights against Russia’s full-scale invasion, the company’s president said Wednesday.
The U.S. space company, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has been providing internet to Ukraine since last February through its Starlink satellite system.
That service, which has been used by the Ukrainian military to control drones, was “never meant to be weaponized,” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said at an event in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
“Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement,” she added.
SpaceX has taken steps to limit the Ukrainian army’s ability to use its internet for drone control, Shotwell said, without detailing what the concrete measures were.
Just days after the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which came with an array of cyberattacks against the country’s infrastructure, SpaceX moved to connect Ukraine to its satellite internet network, allowing online access without the need for fiber cables.
But Musk raised concerns in Kyiv and among Western allies last October after he tweeted a series of Kremlin talking points, presenting them as a peace plan. Later in October, Musk also said he was no longer willing to pay for the Starlink internet terminals in Ukraine, asking the U.S. Department of Defense to take over responsibility instead.
Musk has come in for direct criticism from Ukrainian troops over the SpaceX chief’s remark on Wednesday.
“After Elon Musk ruled out the possibility of using Starlinks as an element of Ukraine’s defense (communication with drones), he can no longer talk about values and democracy. By cutting off a certain opportunity for Ukrainians to defend themselves — Musk directly kills Ukrainians,” Ukrainian serviceman Vitaly Ovcharenko said in a Twitter statement.
In response to Musk’s statement Renew Europe MEP Christophe Grudler (Mouvement Démocrate, France), Rapporteur on the EU secure connectivity program, declared:
” With the war, Ukraine needed satellite telecommunications, but the EU didn’t have something to offer. Ukraine should not have to rely on the whims of Elon Musk to defend its people. With IRIS², the EU will have its own telecommunication constellation, able to offer secure communications to European governments and allies.
I’m proud that this constellation will also set a worldwide example in terms of sustainability, as we requested. Now it is time to build these new European satellites, and prepare them for launch! “
From an EU perspective of the events it is interesting to note that this future satellite constellation infrastructure will allow for synergies with the private sector to develop commercial services and provide high-speed internet and communication in all EU territory, including over isolated regions where terrestrial and broadband connection remain scarce.
After the European Galileo satellites (the ‘European GPS’, used by more than 2 billion mobile devices worldwide), and the Copernicus satellites (Earth observation), IRIS² will be the European Union’s third major satellite program.
