Ukraine Says Elon Musk's Starlink Providing 'Crucial Support,' Serving 150,000 Users Per Day

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s high-speed internet service Starlink has about 150,000 users in Ukraine in just a little over two months.

What Happened: Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Monday tweeted to reveal the number of users that are relying on Starlink as war with neighboring Russia entered its 70th day. 

“..around 150K active users per day. This is crucial support for Ukraine's infrastructure and restoring the destroyed territories,” Fedorov wrote in a post on Twitter.

“Ukraine will stay connected no matter what.”

Rough data on Starlink's usage: around 150K active users per day. This is crucial support for Ukraine's infrastructure and restoring the destroyed territories. Ukraine will stay connected no matter what. pic.twitter.com/XWjyxPQJyX

— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) May 2, 2022

Why It Matters: Musk in February responded to Ukraine's plea to provide Starlink stations after Russia’s invasion. 

SpaceX has donated thousands of satellite internet kits to Ukraine since the country's plea to Musk in February to provide those stations. These have been installed in hospitals and other critical infrastructure.

Starlink beams down high-speed internet via satellites in orbit to Earth, especially to remote areas, including those ravaged by war or natural calamity.

Musk was reportedly close to commercially launching Starlink in Ukraine months ahead of Russia’s invasion. 

Starlink has plans to launch 4,425 satellites in orbit by 2024.

Photo: Kyiv City Council on Wikimedia