SpaceX Starlink Terminals Sent to Ukraine Cost US Taxpayers $3M, Report Says – Corinne Reichert (CNET) / April 9, 2022
The US government is chipping in as SpaceX provides internet service to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
This story is part of War in Ukraine, CNET’s coverage of events there and of the wider effects on the world.
SpaceX’s contribution of Starlink internet terminals and service to Ukraine may be subsidized in part by the US government, according to a report, even though SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, has suggested it hasn’t received any money from the government.
A report Friday from The Washington Post details the expenditures, citing documents from the United States Agency for International Development. According to the Post, the US government and taxpayers have spent around $3 million contributing to the effort. That money went toward purchasing close to 1,500 Starlink terminals at $1,500 each, plus $800,000 for transportation costs to Ukraine, the newspaper reported.
The Post additionally reported that SpaceX has donated 3,670 terminals, along with the internet service itself. Its story didn’t say how much that may have cost SpaceX out of pocket.
