SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell revealed that the company had taken the necessary steps to prevent Ukrainian military forces from using its Starlink satellite technology to power Ukrainian drones against Russia.
In a statement, the official said that there are things that the company can do to limit Ukraine's ability to do just that. In the Wednesday remarks, referencing reports on Starlink and drone use, Shotwell added that there are things that they could do that they have already done to achieve their objective.
SpaceX Blocks Military Use of Starlink
Shotwell also argued that SpaceX's Starlink technology was never designed to be used in a military capability the way that Ukraine has. She added that the company did not foresee how profoundly and creatively Kyiv's military forces relied on their technology.
The SpaceX president noted that the Starlink network was never meant to be weaponized, adding that the Ukrainian military could leverage it in unintentional ways and not part of any agreement, as per CNN.
The admission that SpaceX, which Elon Musk founded, has prevented Ukrainian forces from fully utilizing its technology confirms the long-standing belief that the billionaire entrepreneur and his company are uneasy with Ukraine's military utilization of the Starlink network.
In later remarks, Shotwell added that Starlink had sent units to Ukraine to "keep the banks going, hospitals, keep families connected." However, she added that while the company knew Kyiv's military was using the network for communication, it was never intended to be used for offensive purposes.
The situation comes after Musk angered Ukrainians last October, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, when he proposed a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow on Twitter. He argued that Ukraine should give up efforts to reclaim Crime and cede control of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Support of Ukraine or Russia
One Ukrainian official said companies should choose a side between Ukraine and Russia to support. In a Twitter post, Ukrainian Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that anyone could join Ukraine and "the right to freedom" or choose Russia and "its 'right' to kill and seize territories," according to BBC.
Amid the war, unmanned aircraft have played a key role in shifting the tide of battle as Ukraine used drones to search out Russian troops, drop bombs, and counter Moscow's drone attacks.
Furthermore, Russia is facing accusations of trying to jam Starlink signals, claims made by SpaceX founder Musk. On the other hand, since the early stages of the war, Moscow has tried to close down local internet services and block social media access.
Soon after these efforts, the first Starlink dishes were provided to Ukraine and work by connecting to satellites in low-Earth orbit. Musk signaled in October last year that he could no longer continue funding the Starlink network in Ukraine but quickly reversed his position.
The situation comes as Starlink suffered service outages in Ukraine late last year, which SpaceX did not explain. When asked if the outages were related to efforts to curb Ukraine's military network utilization, Shotwell said that she did not know the answer, according to Reuters.
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