Elon Musk and astronaut Scott Kelly debate use of Starlink in Ukraine

Elon Musk and astronaut Scott Kelly debate use of Starlink in Ukraine


Ukrainian forces set up Starlink satellite receivers to provide connection for civilians at Independence Square after the withdrawal of the Russian army from Kherson to the eastern bank of Dnieper River, Ukraine on November 13, 2022.

Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s satellite internet service remains a crucial yet contentious part of the country’s fragile infrastructure, as Russia’s invasion nears its one-year mark.

Comments by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell last week reignited the debate around how the company’s Starlink hardware and service should be used in the Ukrainian conflict – leading CEO Elon Musk and high-profile former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly to weigh in.

Kelly on Saturday called on Musk to “restore the full functionality of your Starlink satellites.”

“Defense from a genocidal invasion is not an offensive capability. It’s survival,” argued Kelly, whose twin brother, Mark Kelly, is a Democratic U.S. senator from Arizona.

In a pair of replies on Sunday, Musk tweeted that “Starlink is the communication backbone of Ukraine,” before saying that SpaceX “will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3.”

“We have not exercised our right to turn them off,” Musk noted in a separate tweet.

The Twitter exchange came after Shotwell last week said that the company has been “really pleased to be able to provide Ukraine connectivity and help them in their fight for freedom,” but she emphasized that Starlink “was never intended to be weaponized.”

“Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement, so we have to work on that at Starlink,” Shotwell said, speaking at a space conference in Washington, D.C on Feb. 8.

Sign up here to receive weekly editions of CNBC’s Investing in Space newsletter.

In a roundtable conversation after her remarks, Shotwell said that Ukraine using Starlink as a communications system “for the military is fine.”

“But our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes,” Shotwell said.

She specifically noted reports about Ukraine using Starlink “on drones.” Ukrainian soldiers have described using Starlink to connect drones and identify and destroy enemy targets, the Times of London reported in March 2022.

“I’m not going to go into the details; there are things that we can do to limit their ability to do that … there are things that we can do and have done,” Shotwell said.

SpaceX did not respond to CNBC’s request to clarify what those limitations are or whether they are still in place. A company spokesperson pointed to the Starlink terms of service agreement for the U.S., which describes modifications to the SpaceX equipment or service that would be in violation of U.S. export laws.

“Starlink is not designed or intended for use with or in offensive or defensive weaponry or other comparable end-uses,” the Starlink terms of service document for the U.S. says.

Starlink changed the battlefield when Ukrainians didn't have that communication, says Mark Esper





Source

‘Superman’ snares .5 million in Thursday previews on way to 0 million opening
Business

‘Superman’ snares $22.5 million in Thursday previews on way to $140 million opening

David Corenswet stars are Superman in Warner Bros.’ “Superman.” Warner Bros. Discovery It’s not a bird or a plane that soared into cinemas Thursday night — it was Warner Bros.’ “Superman.” The first film in the new era of DC films under James Gunn and Peter Safran snared $22.5 million from preview showings. It’s the […]

Read More
Levi Strauss raises sales guidance, says it will absorb some tariff costs for now
Business

Levi Strauss raises sales guidance, says it will absorb some tariff costs for now

Levi Strauss raised its full-year guidance Thursday and said it’s working to absorb some of the costs it’s facing from higher tariffs, but that could change as President Donald Trump’s trade policy evolves.  The denim maker doesn’t disclose its key manufacturing hubs, but much of its supply comes from Southeast Asia. Many countries in the […]

Read More
IMAX is headed for its best year on record as it capitalizes on Hollywood’s box office rebound
Business

IMAX is headed for its best year on record as it capitalizes on Hollywood’s box office rebound

General atmosphere during an IMAX private screening for the movie “First Man” at an AMC theater in New York City on Oct. 10, 2018. Lars Niki | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images More than a year before “F1: The Movie” would eventually hit theaters, Apple struck a deal with IMAX. The studio secured the […]

Read More