SpaceX's Starlink satellite service has successfully completed nine months of U.S. military testing in the Arctic, potentially paving the way for company owner Elon Musk to deepen ties with the Pentagon in a region of increasing strategic competition.Brian Beale, chief engineer of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Integrated Capabilities Division, said in a statement to Bloomberg News that the previously undisclosed test found that Starlink is a "reliable, high-performance communications system in the Arctic, including on-the-move applications."
Bill said that the exercise that ended in June evaluated the usefulness of "Starlink" to the Pentagon's needs. "We tested it in extremely strong winds and extremely low temperatures. But everything went well."
Tests show that Starlink has the potential to become critical military equipment in the Arctic. The region's harsh climate and remote location limit the communications capabilities of existing military satellites. This is where portable Starlink terminals could come into play as a potential solution. Beale said the Air Force is also continuing to evaluate London-based OneWeb, which has several months of Arctic testing ahead of it.
The expected Arctic contract would add to SpaceX's burgeoning space business, even as Musk has been embroiled in controversy over his stewardship of Company X, his support for an anti-Semitic post and a subsequent advertising boycott.
The report pointed out that the results of the Arctic test mean that the U.S. Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office can sign a contract with SpaceX. Bill said that the series of services of "Starlink" and OneWeb are "now available for purchase."
"This is good news. We need faster and more layers of communications to enhance strategic deterrence," said Leonor Tomero, vice president of the government communications firm J.A. Green and a former deputy assistant secretary of defense.
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the United States, said that SpaceX has deployed 233 satellites in polar orbits. There are more than 5,000 "Starlink" satellites in total.
According to reports, SpaceX’s current business at the Pentagon includes the ongoing national security space launch program. The company's Falcon Heavy launch vehicle has also been approved to launch sensitive U.S. intelligence satellites.
SpaceX also provides launch services and satellites to the United States Space Development Agency. This year, SpaceX also received a contract from the Pentagon to provide "Starlink" satellite communications to the Ukrainian military. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
Brian Eifler, commander of the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska, said at a conference that Musk visited his headquarters to "explore" "customized technology" that can withstand the cold. Eifler also praised the potential of Starlink.
In October 2020, SpaceX hired former U.S. Northern Command commander Terrence O'Shaughnessy, who earlier that year recommended that Congress approve $130 million for "polar communications" experiments that could use "systems" such as "Starlink" or OneWeb's satellite network.