Elon Musk's SpaceX has received a contract from the Pentagon to expand Ukraine's access to a more secure, militarized version of its Starlink satellite network.
The Space Systems Command’s Commercial Satellite Office has informed Bloomberg about this.
The contract provides that 2,500 Starlink terminals already in Ukraine will receive access to Starshield – a classified and encrypted signal via Starlink that is more difficult to hack into or jam. This is in addition to the 500 terminals that were previously connected to Starshield.
"The contracts share a common purpose to facilitate internet connectivity in Ukraine. Both provide service into 2025," the publication noted.
The contract was signed back in August, but this information was not previously disclosed. Incumbent President Joe Biden has sought to give Ukraine more leverage in anticipation that Trump will pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate with russia to end the war.
The Space Systems Command declined to disclose the value of the new contract, although a previous deal with U.S. European Command for 500 terminals was worth about USD 40 million.
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