Elon Musk, the tech tycoon, warned earlier this month that his communications satellite Starlink, the only non-Russian system operating in the conflict-torn Ukraine, was likely to be targeted by hackers. In a tweet today, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that Starlink has so far successfully resisted all jamming and hacking attempts.
When responding to a news article that stated the Russian military had hacked satellite communication gear in Ukraine at the start of the war, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company had managed to keep hackers at bay.
Russia Launched Ukraine Invasion With Hack of Thousands of Satellite Modems https://t.co/r3K9aLJEEh
— Slashdot (@slashdot) March 25, 2022
Musk issued a cautionary tweet earlier this month.
“Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution,” the tweet read.
The next day, Musk announced that SpaceX, which operates Starlink, had shifted its focus to cyber security and signal jamming. Musk warned that the move may create minor delays in Starship and Starlink V2.
SpaceX reprioritized to cyber defense & overcoming signal jamming.
Will cause slight delays in Starship & Starlink V2.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
Musk went on to add that some Starlink terminals in Ukraine’s crisis zones were clogged for several hours at a time. But, according to Musk, his company’s most recent software upgrade avoided the jamming.
Some Starlink terminals near conflict areas were being jammed for several hours at a time. Our latest software update bypasses the jamming.
Am curious to see what’s next!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
In a speech on Monday, US President Joe Biden advised American businesses that they must be vigilant because evidence indicates the Russians are “exploring alternatives” for prospective cyberattacks.
Elon Musk announced that his company SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service had been activated in Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion of its neighbor began on February 24, after a Kyiv official requested him to do so.
Starlink is a SpaceX-operated satellite internet constellation that provides satellite Internet connectivity to 31 countries on Earth, with plans to expand service to the entire globe. There have been 2,335 Starlinks launched, with 2,112 still in orbit. As of March 2022, 1,575 are in licenced operational shells, and 447 are in the process of orbit raising toward those shells.
The constellation will eventually consist of tens of thousands of mass-produced tiny satellites in low Earth orbit, communicating with designated ground transceivers. While satellite internet service is technically feasible for the majority of the world’s population, it can only be offered in nations where SpaceX has been granted a licence to provide service inside a specific national jurisdiction.
The Starlink research, development, manufacturing, and orbit control teams are housed in the SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington. SpaceX estimated the cost of the decade-long effort to design, manufacture, and deploy the constellation to be at least US$10 billion in May 2018. SpaceX forecasts more than US$30 billion in revenue from its satellite constellation by 2025, according to records filed in February 2017, while revenues from its launch business are estimated to exceed US$5 billion in the same year.
