Pentagon and SpaceX clash over Starlink funding during war with Iran
Kyiv • UNN
SpaceX and the Pentagon are disputing the cost of Starlink for LUCAS drones in the war with Iran. The company is demanding $25,000 per terminal instead of five.
Tensions have arisen between the Pentagon and Elon Musk's SpaceX over the cost of using the Starlink satellite network for U.S. military operations against Iran. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources and Pentagon documents, according to UNN.
Details
According to the agency, after American LUCAS kamikaze drones, controlled via Starlink, began to be actively used in warfare, SpaceX leadership stated that the military was paying too little for access to the network.
The company claims that the Pentagon was paying about $5,000 per terminal, even though it was actually using service levels that cost approximately $25,000 per month.
The disputes concern not only drones but also plans to provide Iranian citizens with satellite communications bypassing government restrictions. According to Reuters sources, SpaceX and the Pentagon also cannot reach an agreement on tariffs for direct satellite mobile communications via Starlink.
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The Pentagon insists that the $25,000 price is intended for aircraft, not for kamikaze drones that use the network for only a short period. Meanwhile, SpaceX states that the operating conditions for drones more closely align with aviation-level service.
Reuters notes that the conflict over Starlink highlights the growing dependence of the U.S. military on SpaceX ahead of the company's potential IPO.