Musk: "Satellite Internet Sent to Ukraine Faces Cyberattacks and Signal Jamming" [Reading Science]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has been providing Starlink satellite internet service to support Ukraine, but it has been reported that the service is suffering from Russian radio interference and cyberattacks.

Regarding this, Musk posted on Twitter on the afternoon of the 5th (local time), stating, "SpaceX has reprioritized its work to overcome cyber defense and signal jamming of the Starlink satellite internet service." Musk also added, "(Due to this reprioritization) there will be some delays in the launches of Starship and Starlink V2."

In another Twitter message, Musk said, "Several Starlink terminals near the (Ukraine) combat zones experienced simultaneous radio interference for several hours," adding, "We have implemented the latest software upgrades to avoid radio interference. I wonder what will happen next."

Earlier, on the 3rd, Musk warned that using the Starlink satellite internet service could make users a target of the Russian military. He tweeted, "Starlink is the only non-Russian communication network still operating in some parts of Ukraine," and warned, "It is highly likely to become a target of attacks. Please use it carefully." He further advised, "Use Starlink only when necessary and install the antenna as far away from people as possible," recommending, "It is good to camouflage the antenna slightly to prevent it from being exposed."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Musk's SpaceX sent Starlink satellite internet terminals and antennas to Ukraine at the request of Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation. Minister Fedorov directly appealed to Musk on Twitter on the 26th, saying, "While you are trying to colonize Mars, Russia is trying to occupy Ukraine. While you successfully land rockets in space, Russian rockets are attacking Ukrainian citizens."

Musk immediately responded. On the same day, he tweeted, "Starlink service has been activated in Ukraine," and added, "We are sending more terminals."