SpaceX and the Pentagon have disagreed over the cost of Starshield satellite service used during the Iran war. SpaceX sought higher payments after satellite terminals were used on kamikaze attack drones. Elon Musk disputed a report’s claims and said the drones initially used the commercial Starlink service rather than the government Starshield network, violating Starlink terms of service. Musk attributed the violation to a military contractor that built the drones and configured them incorrectly. The reported pricing dispute involved a monthly Starshield access fee per drone terminal, with the Pentagon previously paying a lower amount before agreeing to the higher charge.
"While the $25,000 charge is a monthly fee for the satellite connection provided to a satellite terminal, the terminals are being used with drones that only make one-way trips before hitting targets and detonating on impact. Starshield is a network for government entities and is based on Starlink technology."
"Musk wrote in an X post today that the "Reuters article is false." But in the very same post, he seemed to confirm a dispute over how the military used SpaceX satellite technology. "They made improper use of the Starlink civilian system for military purposes. Direct violation of terms of service," Musk wrote today, seeming to indicate that the military used the commercial Starlink system when it should have been using Starshield."
Read at Ars Technica
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