Musk Flops, Apparently, on Paying for Starlink

SpaceX founder tried to get Pentagon to step in on program in Ukraine
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2022 5:10 PM CDT
Musk Drops Bid for US to Pick Up Starlink Cost
Elon Musk, shown in 2020, changed his mind about funding Starlink.   (Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP, File)

He may have sounded a little bitter about the whole thing, but Elon Musk nonetheless said Saturday that SpaceX will keep covering the cost of its Starlink satellite terminals in Ukraine. "The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free," Musk tweeted. Of course, it's possible he was just being sarcastic; Musk didn't respond to requests for comment, per CNBC, and no one else confirmed his announcement.

The company founder had asked the Pentagon last month to take over the expense, which sparked a backlash on social media, Politico reports. As recently as Friday, Musk had sounded defiant about the matter. He said he was just following the suggestion of a Ukrainian diplomat who, upset at the billionaire wanting to drop the tab, had told Musk to get lost, more or less. The Pentagon said Friday it was contacting other satellite companies after receiving Musk's letter. A tweet from a Ukrainian presidential adviser was conciliatory, saying a way will be found to keep Starlink operating. "Let's be honest. Like it or not, @elonmusk helped us survive the most critical moments of war," Mikhail Podolyak tweeted, per the AP. "Business has the right to its own strategies." (More Elon Musk stories.)

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