Responding almost instantly to the request of Mykhailo Fedorov Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk announced Saturday that the company’s Starlink internet satellites are now active in Ukraine as the country suffers power outages due to Russia’s invasion.
“While you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand.” — Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation
“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” Musk, the Tesla CEO, tweeted. “More terminals en route.”
Ukraine’s vice prime minister asked Musk to provide internet service to the country amid Russian attacks, and Musk delivered, according to a Twitter exchange between the two on Saturday.
Starlink is a satellite-based internet constellation intended to blanket the planet in high-speed broadband and could potentially bring connectivity to billions of people who still lack reliable internet access.
