Musk eyes Starlink terminal deployment in U.S! Elon Musk’s SpaceX is seeking to deploy Starlink satellite internet terminals to help accelerate an upgrade of the information technology networks that support the US(united State) Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) national airspace system, according to people familiar with the matter.Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
For Musk’s business the effort raises questions about conflicts of interest empire and the future of a US$2 billion contract awarded in 2023 to Verizon Communications Inc to upgrade the critical infrastructure, according to the people.
A shipment of 4,000 Starlink terminals Musk approved to the FAA last week for the initiative, said one of the people. In Atlantic City one terminal has already been installed at the FAA’s air-traffic control technology lab, New Jersey, for testing, the person said.
The person familiar with the matter said the programme will be called TDM X. It is goal to have the entire programme fully functional within 1 year to 18 months.
In Atlantic City an FAA spokesperson confirmed the agency is testing one terminal and in Alaska two terminals at non-safety critical sites. The FAA has been considering the use of Starlink to fix telecommunication connections to provide more reliable weather information at remote sites, including in Alaska, the spokesperson said by email.
FAA is supporting by Verizon’s.
FAA is supporting by Verizon’s contract in maintaining and upgrading its critical infrastructure, company spokesman Rich Young said by email. “Protecting Americans who rely on a safe and functioning air traffic control system is more important than ever”, Young added. “Our enhancements will help make that happen.”
A representative of SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The Verizon system is not working and so is putting air travellers at serious risk,” Musk posted on X.
The people said it was unclear how the use of Starlink terminals might impact the existing Verizon contract.
The push would extend Musk’s reach into the FAA, the aviation safety watchdog that regulates SpaceX rocket launches.Under President Donald Trump Musk is overseeing a broad effort to reshape the US government, and has significant contracts with federal agencies. The FAA’s air-traffic control system manages 45,000 flights carrying almost three million people in the US each day.
By Musk’s greater political influence and reach the FAA’s Starlink tests mark the latest inroads SpaceX is making with governments and businesses globally — an expansion been further accelerated. Bloomberg reported in December that SpaceX received a Pentagon contract to expand Ukraine’s access to a more secure, militarized version of its Starlink satellite network.
