SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said getting Starlink into Ukraine took over a month, with a new statement from the president detailing just how many Starlink kits the U.S. company has sent.
Shotwell said that SpaceX has sent “thousands” of Starlink satellite kits to Ukraine, adding that a few other countries helped fund the project, according to CNBC.
The news seemingly corroborates a previous report from The Washington Post that claimed there were over 5,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine.
Also new is the fact both France and Poland helped fund the Starlink kits, with the vast majority of the funding coming from private companies.
SpaceX Increases Starlink Kit and Monthly Service Prices in U.S. and Beyond https://t.co/5leymryrzJ
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) March 22, 2022
While sitting on a panel during Washington D.C. Satellite 2022 conference, Shotwell said, “I’m proud that we were able to provide the terminals to folks in Ukraine. It’s been enormously helpful, I think, to ensure people are still communicating.”
Shotwell added, “I don’t think the U.S. has given us any money to give terminals to the Ukraine.”
Each kit includes an antenna, a mounting tripod and a router, which together lets users connect directly to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation of over 2,000 orbital satellites.
SpaceX made Starlink operational in Ukraine last month after Ukrainian official Mykhailo Fedorov requested the company’s help amidst Russian attacks that were disrupting the internet in Ukraine.
Ukraine received its fourth round of Starlink shipments last week, traveling through Poland to reach their destination, and with help from Polish oil retailer, Oren.
On Tuesday, SpaceX increased the price of its Starlink kit and monthly service in the U.S. and beyond, citing inflation as the reason for the price hikes.
