After Russia invaded Ukraine, Musk promised to send Starlink internet terminals to the country. His company is covering the cost of the service for a few months after donating thousands of units. The US government paid millions of dollars for some of the terminals and got them all to Ukraine, despite statements from the company's president.
According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, the United States Agency for International Development bought around 1,500 terminals. The agency spent over $3 million on transportation costs for all the terminals. More than 5,000 terminals were sent to Ukraine by the agency and SpaceX, with a third-party contractor handling transportation and delivery.
It is not clear whether the terminals were paid over the odds. The price of a Starlink terminal has been increased from $499 to $549 for deposit holders. The monthly price of the satellite-powered internet service is increasing. The higher tier service costs $2,500 for a terminal and $500 per month.
Shotwell said last month that France and possibly Poland helped get the terminals to Ukraine. The company donated $10 million worth of terminals and Starlink service to the country, but it wasn't clear where the funding for other parts of the operation came from.
Musk had to issue a warning over the use of Starlink because Russia may be able to triangulate the location of a terminal uplink. Musk urged people to only use Starlink when it's necessary.
This isn't the first time that Musk has offered help during a crisis. He went to Thailand to help with the rescue of the 12 boys and their coach who were trapped in a cave. The mini-sub was deemed impractical for the mission anyway, because the people were safely retrieved by the time he got there.
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