SpaceX and the Pentagon are sparring over the cost of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today. SpaceX appears to be asking the military for more money after it began using satellite terminals on “kamikaze” attack drones in Iran.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed that the Reuters report is false. But Musk also said the military drones initially used commercial Starlink service rather than a government-specific network, violating Starlink’s terms of service. Musk blamed the contractor who makes drones for the government for the violation.
SpaceX recently asked the military to pay $25,000 for Starshield access on each Kamikaze drone, a Reuters report based on Pentagon documents and interviews with sources familiar with the pricing negotiations said. According to Reuters, the Pentagon, which had previously paid $5,000 for each connection, objected to the price increase but ultimately agreed to pay.
While the $25,000 fee is a monthly fee for a satellite connection provided to a satellite terminal, the terminals are being used with drones that travel only one way before striking a target and exploding on impact.
Starshield is a network for government entities and is based on Starlink technology. Musk wrote in an X post today that “the Reuters article is false.” But in the same post, he appeared to confirm the controversy over how the military used SpaceX satellite technology.
“They improperly used the Starlink civilian system for military purposes. A direct violation of the terms of service,” Musk wrote today.
Musk later said that the drone had been misconfigured by a military contractor. “SpaceX has a US government arm called Starshield, which has a different set of satellites than Starlink, which is for civilian use. The company making the suicide drone misused the civilian system instead of Starshield,” Musk wrote.
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