Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk's SpaceX informed the United States Defense Department that it can no longer finance Starlink satellites that are currently being used in the conflict-struck Ukraine, CNN reported, citing an obtained document.
"We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time," SpaceX said in a letter it sent to Pentagon in September. In a separate correspondence, also obtained by CNN, an external consultant working for SpaceX told the Defense Department that they did not believe the company has "the financial ability to provide any additional terminals or service."
According to CNN, SpaceX asked the Pentagon to cover the costs itself and estimated them to be $120 million for the rest of 2022 and up to $400 million for the next 12 months.
