Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Elon Musk promised the country another batch of Starlink satellite terminals to help keep internet communication running as the country fights Russia’s invasion.
In a Twitter post on Saturday, Zelenskiy said he has spoken with Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, and another delivery of the Starlink systems will arrive next week “for destroyed cities.” “I am grateful to you for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds, ” he added. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Starlink service was activated in Ukraine last month, a move Musk said was in response to a request from the deputy prime minister to help the country maintain internet access amid the Russian invasion.
Mykhailo Fedorov, who is also Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, announced the arrival of the first batch of Starlink terminals by tweeting a photograph of the equipment. Musk’s SpaceX plans to launch thousands of Starlink satellites into orbit, creating a constellation of internet services that would work as a low-cost alternative to remote ground systems that are vulnerable to outages.
The billionaire previously donated 50 satellite terminals to restore the internet in Tonga, whose telecommunications network was severely affected by a tsunami earlier this year.