SpaceX, an American space technology company, has secured a Pentagon contract to expand Ukraine's access to a more secure, militarised version of its Starlink satellite network.

Source : Bloomberg

Details : The contract stipulates that 2,500 Starlink terminals currently in Ukraine will be granted access to Starshield, in addition to the 500 terminals already connected to the service.

Starshield is a secure, encrypted communication system developed for Starlink that is designed to be more resistant to hacking and jamming.

"A total of 3,000 terminals are provided service via the two contracts," the Space Systems Command’s Commercial Satellite Office told Bloomberg News.

The contracts have a common goal of facilitating "internet connectivity in Ukraine". The contract is scheduled to be implemented by 2025.

The contract was signed back in August 2024. Bloomberg notes that the Space Systems Command refused to disclose the value of the new contract, although a previous agreement with the US European Command for 500 terminals was worth about US$40 million.

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