Meghana KandraSpaceX Starlink seems to be extensively working on providing internet services to conflict areas, indicating Ukraine. Earlier the arival of Starlink dished to the country were known. Now Elon Musk updates that the Starlink satellites will be reprioritised to jamming “near conflict areas”, at the cost of delay of Starlink V2 and Starship.
Image credits- WION
The moves come a week after Musk responded to a request by Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the country’s minister of digital transformation, to provide Starlink service in the country to ensure access if Russia cut off other lines of communications. Musk said on February 26 that Starlink service has been turned on in the country and, two days later, an initial shipment of at least several dozen Starlink terminals arrived in Ukraine.
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
Neither SpaceX nor Ukrainian government officials have disclosed how many Starlink terminals are active in the country. Musk tweeted March 3 that SpaceX made other software changes to reduce the terminal’s power consumption, allowing it to be powered by a cigarette lighter in a car, and to enable roaming on moving vehicles.
Updating software to reduce peak power consumption, so Starlink can be powered from car cigarette lighter.
Mobile roaming enabled, so phased array antenna can maintain signal while on moving vehicle.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2022
Using with caution
Musk also claimed that Starlink “is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so the probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution.” While some experts have warned that Starlink terminals could be targeted by Russian forces, it’s unclear if they have. Moreover, in much of Ukraine terrestrial mobile connectivity remains working, as have satellite services such as Inmarsat and Iridium.
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2022
Starlink V2 is the second generation of the Starlink service, with its satellites designed to be launched on Starship vehicles. SpaceX has released few details about the capabilities of those satellites. SpaceX has been developing Starship vehicles at its Boca Chica, Texas, test site called Starbase, but cannot attempt an orbital launch of the vehicle until it received a license from the Federal Aviation Administration. That license, in turn, depends on the completion of an environmental assessment the FAA says will be done on March 28, a date that has already slipped twice.
That shift in resources, though, does not appear to affect other SpaceX initiatives, including launching additional current-generation Starlink satellites. SpaceX launched a set of 47 Starlink satellites on March 3 from the Kennedy Space Center, the third such launch in the last two weeks. Musk also said that Starlink would not block Russian news sources from its network “unless at gunpoint.” The European Union has sought to block Russian state-controlled broadcasters, such as Russia Today and Sputnik, from operating in its countries. That ban extends to internet service providers as well as cable and satellite television companies.
Credits- Space News