SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield have different missions. SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk clarified their other purposes on social media.
Elon Musk on SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield
Elon Musk gave an update about SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield on X (formerly Twitter). Musk announced that Starlink "needs to be a civilian network," and it will not join in combat. Meanwhile, Starshield will be owned by the American government and controlled by the Department of Defense Space Force. He noted, "This is the right order of things."
Several netizens reacted to Musk's announcement, and they agreed with it. According to Brian Krassentein, an AI & Technology and political journalist, the decision made sense. He decided that the technology should be sold to the Pentagon and let them decide, not make it a private company. He added that suggesting otherwise is ignorant.
However, another user pointed out that Starshield is still under Starlink. Thus, SpaceX, which still owns Starlink, will still have the right to decide what it wants to do with Starlink products independent from Starshield.
SpaceX's Starlink is the world's first and largest constellation of satellites, and it uses a low Earth orbit to transmit broadband internet capable of enabling streaming, online gaming, video calls, and other activities. Starlink claims on its website that it is the "world's most advanced broadband satellite internet."
By leveraging cutting-edge satellites, user devices, and our in-depth knowledge of spacecraft and on-orbit operations, it offers high-speed, low-latency internet to consumers worldwide.
Meanwhile, Starshield is a "secured satellite network for government entities," unlike the civilian-focused Starlink.
SpaceX Wins First Space Force Deal For Starshield Satellite
SpaceX has won its first contract with the US Space Force to provide satellite communications via Starshield. SpaceX announced Starshield in December, and will be provided over existing Starlink satellites.
Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson, verified the one-year contract and stated that it was given on Sept. 1. Under the terms of the agreement, SpaceX will provide "Starshield end-to-end service via the Starlink constellation, user terminals, ancillary equipment, network management and other related services." The contract has a ceiling of $70 million, with $15 million of that amount obligated to SpaceX by the end of this month.
The agreement adds to SpaceX's list of previous defense contracts. The Pentagon has already been identified as a "high-value buyer" of SpaceX rocket launches. In June of this year, the Pentagon reportedly signed a contract to pay SpaceX for satellite connectivity for Ukraine's military.
The announcement of the new contract came amid a period of heightened scrutiny of SpaceX's activities in Ukraine, where it has given the military its internet connectivity as it tries to retaliate against Russia's invading soldiers—according to Walter Isaacson in his just-released biography titled "Elon Musk," the tech billionaire refused to expand Starlink coverage to the Russian-occupied Crimea, impeding Ukrainian military operations.
Due to Starlink's involvement in the fight, Musk now holds significant geopolitical sway. According to a police official quoted in a recent New Yorker piece, "Even though Musk is not technically a diplomat or statesman, I felt it was important to treat him as such."
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