SpaceX announced some notable upgrades for its Starlink services, where Elon Musk shares some tips which could be used to protect terminals from potential attacks. It is notable that Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system that is still working in various locations in Ukraine. Resulting in Russian forces possibly attacking the Starlink satellites. So users can use the terminals with caution, like turning on the terminal only when needed and placing the antenna far from people.
Musk further stated that slight camouflage could be placed on the antenna to avoid any visual detection. When asked about using a thin layer of spray paint, Musk stated that it would work as long as there are no metal particles in the paint.
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
Over the past few days, Starlink Satellite internet services were being provided to Ukrainian users. As it is in the besieged country, Starlink was also complimented by Ukraine Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, saying that the satellite internet service “will save a lot of lives.”
Improvements
With the satellite internet system essentially being one of the lifelines of the besieged country, Musk has announced some upcoming improvements to Starlink. First off, the CEO noted that Starlink’s software is being upgraded so that the system could reduce its peak power consumption. With this, the satellite internet system could be powered from a conventional car cigarette lighter. Musk also noted that mobile roaming would be enabled so that Starlink’s phased array antenna can maintain its signal despite being on a moving vehicle.
Musk’s Starlink donation to Ukraine has been appreciated by many, though Russian space agency head Dmitry Rogozin has thrown criticism at the SpaceX CEO’s efforts. In a statement to local Russian media, Rogozin noted that providing Starlink kits to Ukraine shows that Musk was choosing his side in the war. Musk responded on Twitter, noting that SpaceX sent over Starlink terminals to Ukraine since the country needed help.
Ukraine civilian Internet was experiencing strange outages – bad weather perhaps? – so SpaceX is helping fix it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2022
Musk’s Starlink shipment to Ukraine was initially requested by Fedorov last weekend, with the official statement that the satellite internet kits would be invaluable in the ongoing conflict. It took Musk about ten hours to respond, though he later stated that terminals were already en route to the country. An image of a truckload of Starlink kits was later shared by the Ukrainian official just about 48 hours since Musk’s initial Twitter response. Later tests in the country showed that the satellite internet system was delivering speeds of up to 200 Mbps.
You are most welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2022
