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Highlights
- Mykhailo Fedovor, vice prime minister of Ukraine, has thanked Elon Musk, as Ukraine has received second shipment of Starlink Rapid Deployment kits.
- Starlink Rapid Deployment kits assist in emergency communication.
- Northern NSW has received over 10 Starlink kits, which cost around $10,000 each after Australian surfer, Mick Fanning asked for help.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has kept his promise, as Mykhailo Fedovor, vice prime minister of Ukraine, tweeted that Ukraine has received the second shipment of new technology, worth millions of dollars today (10 March 2022).
The embattled country received Starlink Rapid Deployment kits from the SpaceX boss for assisting in emergency communication. Through Twitter, Ukraine’s leaders have expressed their gratitude. Volodymyr Zelensky (president of Ukraine) also thanked Musk for extending support to Ukraine. Musk responded a few hours later and highlighted that the company has also sent power adaptors that can be used for solar/battery packs, car cigarette lighters and generators for places where the electricity supply is not available.
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Musk has also warned that Russia can target Starlink services as it is the only non-Russian communication service that is active in the country. Therefore, he suggested that the devices should be hidden with the help of ‘light camouflage’.
How has Musk helped Ukraine?
Minister of digital transformation and vice prime minister Mykhailo had requested Musk to start Starlink’s services in the country to provide relief to the citizens amid armed conflict with Russia. A day after the request, Tesla's CEO announced Starlink’s satellite-broadband services had been activated.
The technology offers internet services to the war-torn nation directly from its satellite, orbiting around the earth. The satellite technology can extend internet services even in those places where cell towers and fiber optic cables cannot reach.
Image source: © Syanawut | Megapixl.com
Tesla employees also played a significant role in bringing satellite internet services to the country as the energy team provided Tesla Powerwalls required to run Starlink equipment. Tesla’s certified installers donated charging cables and investors, and Tesla employees employed them to assemble the Powerwall systems.
As per a media report, Musk has also announced that his company, Tesla, would pay its Ukrainian employees for three months if they fight in the war for their country. The offer was made through mail circulated amongst the employees in Africa, Middle East and Europe on 9 March 2022. However, the email does not clarify whether the benefit would be extended to North American employees and somewhere else.
Since Tesla does not operate in Ukraine, it offered free supercharging services to the 5000 Tesla drivers of Ukraine at stations located in Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
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Musk offers help to Australia
Ukraine-Russia crisis is not the first time that Musk has offered billion-dollar help. Australian professional surfer, Mick Fanning had asked for Musk’s help with the northern NSW and Queensland floods. Fanning tweeted,
Related article: New South Wales floods: PM Morrison may declare ‘national emergency’
On 9 March 2022, Northern NSW received over 10 Starlink kits, which cost around $10,000 each. Last year, Starlink partnered with NetVault, a telecommunications provider which is reportedly delivering technology to affected areas in NSW and Queensland.
