• NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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    17 days ago

    Lol, service absolutely can be turned on and off based on regions. SpaceX doesn’t turn it on in a region until the local government had an agreement with them. Just because the US gov sees Crimea as Ukraine does not mean SpaceX is obliged to turn it on there.

    And no, there was no DoD contract in place at the time. SpaceX was providing services for free out of their own goodwill.

    The DoD had a formal contact in place in June 2023, the incident falsely commented on by OP was in 2022.

    Edit below

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_in_the_Russo-Ukrainian_War

    You can go read it all in the wiki yourself but the relevant part

    In June 2023, the Department of Defense officialized a contract with Shotwell’s SpaceX to buy Starlink satellite services for Ukraine.[10] The deal includes the Pentagon buying 400-500 Starlink terminals for Ukraine, giving the Pentagon control of where Starlink works inside the country without fear of interruption.[79] The terms of services of the final contract were undisclosed for security issues.[10] Following the contract, The Pentagon stated Starlink was a “vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network” amidst “a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities they need.”[10]

    Edit: oh, you’re OP. LOL