Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) might have contravened its Pentagon contract by not providing access to its satellite communication network Starshield in and around Taiwan, a letter from a US House of Representatives committee to the company said.
In September last year, the US Department of Defense awarded SpaceX a one-year contract for Starshield access, worth US$100 million. A few months before that, the Pentagon also commissioned SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network to be used by Ukrainian forces amid Russia’s invasion.
Starshield is a derivative of Starlink intended for military use.
Photo: Reuters
SpaceX has long worked closely with the US military and intelligence agencies, which contract the company to launch government satellites used for the transmission of sensitive and classified information.
US Representative Mike Gallagher, who is chairman of the US House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), wrote the letter to company founder Elon Musk following Gallagher’s three-day visit to Taiwan that concluded on Saturday.
The letter was obtained by CNBC after Forbes magazine first reported on it.
In the letter, the Republican representative said the company’s contract with the Pentagon requires the US military to have global access to the satellite network.
“Multiple sources have disclosed to the committee that Starshield is inactive in and around Taiwan,” the CNBC report quoted the letter as saying, adding that it asks Musk to provide a briefing on the issue to the committee before Friday next week.
“In the event of CCP military aggression against Taiwan, American servicemembers in the Western Pacific would be put at severe risk,” the letter said. “Ensuring robust communication networks for US military personnel on and around Taiwan is paramount for safeguarding US interests in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s top military intelligence official accused the company of providing the Russian military with Starlink services in occupied areas of Ukraine. Musk responded at the time that SpaceX would not sell Starlink terminal services to Russia.
Musk has also referred to Taiwan as “an integral part of China” and said he “knows China well.”
In 2022, Musk said in an interview with the Financial Times that Taiwan’s future could be resolved by Beijing through “establishing Taiwan as a special administrative region.”
CNBC said that Musk’s stance on Taiwan has allowed automaker Tesla Inc — of which Musk is CEO — to thrive amid rocky US-China relations, and Beijing to permit it to have its own factory in Shanghai, while other foreign automakers in China are required to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies.
SpaceX and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Gallagher’s letter.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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