Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s SpaceX won praise from Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov for quickly restoring internet connectivity in five villages after “serious battles” using the Starlink terminals.
What Happened: Mykhailo pointed out the importance of Starlink in a Twitter post and shared two examples of how internet connectivity was restored quickly in the battle-ravaged country, which otherwise would have taken a few months.
“Is Starlink that important? It wouldn't be possible to restore 10 km of cable connection between villages in Chernigiv region after serious battles so quick. Normally it takes (a) few months,” Mykhailo said, adding that internet connectivity was restored in five villages by using only one Starlink terminal.
Why It Matters: Musk in February responded to Ukraine's plea to provide Starlink stations after Russia’s invasion. SpaceX has since donated thousands of satellite internet kits to Ukraine, which have been installed in hospitals and other critical infrastructure.
Starlink beams down high-speed internet via satellites in orbit to Earth, especially to remote areas, including those ravaged by war or natural calamity.
Musk was reportedly close to commercially launching Starlink in Ukraine months ahead of Russia’s invasion.
Starlink has plans to launch 4,425 satellites in orbit by 2024.
