The contract between the Pentagon and SpaceX, which provides for the deployment of Starlink satellite terminals in Ukraine, was concluded for the amount of 23 million dollars. This service, according to an anonymous US official, is an important part of US security assistance to Ukraine. With the help of this system, the Ukrainian military gained access to secure and reliable communication.
Bloomberg reports this with reference to a representative of the department. It is noted that this contract is valid from June of last year to May of this year. There is no information about its continuation, as the official refused to answer this question.
As the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov reported in May 2022, Ukraine received 10,000 Starlink terminals, which provide critical communication infrastructure during the war with Russia.
The publication writes that the sum of 23 million dollars is insignificant compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars that Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. won, becoming a key partner in the launch of some of the most sensitive US national security satellites. But Musk expressed an ambivalent attitude towards Ukraine's use of the terminals, stating that they are intended for private, not military use.
At the same time, the US military highly appreciated the role of Starlink terminals in Ukraine. They helped maintain communication between the civilian population and provided an important link for the country's military after the Russian invasion.