This illustrated photo, taken in Warsaw, Poland, on September 21, 2022, shows a Starlink photo on a mobile device with a map of Ukraine in the background.
STR | Noor Photos | Getty Images
House Democrat Robert Garcia, D-Calif. Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin sent a letter to SpaceX demanding transparency from the defense contractor following reports that Russia may have illegally purchased and used Starlink satellite network equipment in occupied Ukraine.
this Members of Congress also announced A Democratic House committee is investigating SpaceX into the company’s safeguards and procedures to prevent the illegal export and use of its Starlink equipment and services.Washington post first reported investigation and a March 6 letter to SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell.
SpaceX founder and CEO Musk is credited with providing Starlink terminals and satellite network services in the early stages of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, while Western governments and non-governmental organizations worked to provide air defense systems and critical assistance to Kiev.
Later, according to the tech giant’s authorized biography, Musk said, “Starlink is not about getting into war. It is about allowing people to watch Netflix, relax, go to school online, and do peaceful good deeds, not drone strikes.” Author: Walter Isaacson.
The book also claims that Musk has ordered SpaceX engineers to shut down the Starlink satellite network over Crimea to prevent Ukraine from attacking Russian warships.
After the book was published in 2023, the message – which Musk denied was accurate – drew the ire of Ukrainian officials, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Kyiv’s General Intelligence Service (GUR) said in February that there was growing evidence that Russian forces were using Starlink in the partially occupied Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
“Russia’s use of Starlink satellite terminals would violate U.S. export controls that prohibit Russia from acquiring and using U.S.-produced technology,” the lawmakers wrote in a statement Thursday.
House Democrats are not the only elected officials demanding more transparency from SpaceX and how the company controls its vast global satellite communications network.
In February this year, the bipartisan House China Committee and its leader, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, sent a letter to Elon Musk requesting that the U.S. military stationed in Taiwan use SpaceX’s Starshield. This is a satellite communications network designed specifically for the military. Gallagher said in the letter that the lack of access could violate contractual obligations between SpaceX and the Department of Defense.
“SpaceX is fully compliant with all of its U.S. government contracts,” the company said in an email to CNBC at the time.
The company did not respond to a request for comment before publication on the new investigation into Russia’s possible use of Starlink in occupied areas of Ukraine.
House Democrats reported Wednesday that a New Jersey man was arrested on suspicion of trafficking 675 SpaceX Starlink terminals that were purchased with stolen credit card accounts or hacked Starlink billing accounts.
Police told CNBC they are still working with SpaceX to investigate the trafficking and how it was purchased. It’s unclear where all the equipment supporting Starlink’s high-speed satellite network service will ultimately be bundled.
Read the full letter to SpaceX:
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