Elon Musk will add a donation function to Starlink days after sparking controversy over whether SpaceX will continue funding the satellite internet service in Ukraine.
Musk floated the idea early Monday morning in response to a CEO in Africa saying he’d be glad to donate money to fund Starlink access for schools and hospitals in Uganda.
“Are there others that want to donate Starlinks to places in need?” Musk asked on Twitter before tweeting: “Ok, we will add a donate option to Starlink.”
Days before, news broke that SpaceX had told the Pentagon last month it could no longer afford to fund the Starlink access in Ukraine indefinitely. Instead, the company is asking the US government to pay $120 million to maintain the satellite internet access in Ukraine for the rest of the year, according to CNN.
The same CNN report also says the US, as well as foreign governments and charity groups, already fund a large portion of Starlink access in Ukraine—contrary to some past statements from Musk and SpaceX executives. In addition, a few humanitarian workers in Ukraine even say local Ukrainian residents and soldiers have already been paying for the Starlink service, like they were normal customers.
The controversy has sparked questions over how much funding SpaceX actually needs to operate Starlink in Ukraine. According to CNN, SpaceX’s own letter to the Pentagon reportedly notes around 85% of the 20,000 Starlink dishes in Ukraine were paid, or partially paid, for by countries like the US, Poland, UK, or other groups, such as NGOs and charity organizations. These same groups are also funding about 30% of the Starlink monthly internet access costs.
Musk, meanwhile, claims his company is losing $20 million a month by operating Starlink in Ukraine, partly because it has to fend off Russian cyber attacks and jamming attempts. However, on Saturday, Musk indicated his company will continue funding Starlink access in Ukraine, despite the growing costs.
“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. That said, it remains unclear if Musk was being serious in the tweet or sarcastic.
If SpaceX does add a donation function to Starlink, it’ll no doubt attract scrutiny. The donation function would presumably work by establishing a fund to help pay for the Starlink equipment and monthly internet fees for areas without high-speed broadband access. Currently in the US, the normal Starlink service costs $110 per month along with a one-time $599 dish fee.