SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that his company is now focused on cyber defense and overcoming jamming of its Starlink internet satellites amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Musk and SpaceX sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine at the request of a government official after internet service was disrupted across the country due to a Russian invasion. A batch of Starlink ground terminals, which use an antenna and a terminal to access satellite broadband services, arrived in Ukraine on Monday, February 28). With the terminals, SpaceX is working to keep them online, Musk said.
“Some Starlink terminals near conflict zones were jammed for several hours,” Musk said. wrote a statement on Twitter Friday (March 1). “Our latest software update avoids interference.”
Connected: How will Ukraine support SpaceX Starlink online service?
Photo: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on satellite imagery
SpaceX refocused on cyber defense and overcoming signal interference. Will cause minor delays in Starship and Starlink V2.March 5, 2022
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Musk later said that SpaceX is shifting its focus to keeping the Starlink service up and running in Ukraine and likely elsewhere.
“SpaceX refocused on cyber defense and overcoming signal interference” he wrote on Friday. Musk joked that these measures were a bit of a surprise quality assurance job for the Starlink system.
Musk also said that work on Starlink “will cause slight delays in Starship and Starlink V2.”
The SpaceX Starship is a giant reusable spacecraft designed to use the huge reusable Super Heavy booster to launch deep space missions. NASA used the Starship to land astronauts on the moon as part of its Artemis program. SpaceX hopes to launch the first uncrewed starship orbital flight in the next few months. Starlink V2 is SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink system that includes laser-to-satellite communications and other enhancements.
Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communication system still operating in parts of Ukraine, so it is highly likely to be targeted. Please use with care.March 3, 2022
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After shipping Starlink terminals to Ukraine, Musk warned that the system could leave its users vulnerable to Russian military attacks.
“Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communication system still operating in parts of Ukraine, so it is highly likely to be targeted. Please use with care.” – Musk tweeted on Thursday (March, 3rd).
“Turn on Starlink only when necessary, and place the antenna as far away from people as possible,” Musk. continuation. “Put light camouflage on the antenna to avoid visual detection” he added.
On Thursday (March 3), SpaceX launched the final batch of Starlink satellites into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission launched 47 new Starlink satellites into orbit from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. To date, SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 satellites into orbit and plans to create an initial mega constellation of 12,000 to provide global broadband coverage.
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