The businessman prefers to deal with the United States Department of Defense Launch of the Falcon-9 heavy launch vehicle.
Photo by Reuters On the morning of April 2, the Falcon-9 launch vehicle (PH) put ten spacecraft (spacecraft) assembled by order of the US Space Forces into a near-Earth orbit with a height of 1 thousand km at once.
At the request of the Pentagon, information about the launch is limited to a short information message. Even the image of the upper stage of the rocket and its head is prohibited from public display.
According to the SpaceNews publication, the April launch made the first practical step towards a new satellite constellation of 28 spacecraft as part of the Tranche 0 stage of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) program for the formation of a space warning system for hypersonic missile launches. Today, such weapons are available only to "America's opponents" – Russia and China, and she herself is "stuck" at the stage of testing experimental samples.
The launch of the Falcon-9 was carried out from the Vandenberg military base in California. Among the devices brought out to her are eight communication devices from York Space Systems. The other two are infrared reconnaissance, designed and assembled by SpaceX with the assistance of Leidos.
SpaceNews explains: eight communication satellites will form the basis of a well-protected Transport Layer data transmission system. They will transmit to ground stations the information collected by their NDSA partners united in the Tracking Layer network. And those will be engaged in the detection, classification and tracking of enemy missiles on the trajectory.
THE GENERAL'S WORDThe Chief of Space Operations, General Chance Saltzman, said that the formation of a low-orbit space grouping from a large number of small-sized vehicles significantly complicates the organization of counteraction from the enemy.
Speaking to congressmen on March 14, the military commander pointed out the need for the formation of numerous satellite constellations in composition and placement in outer space, which, in fact, is assumed by the NDSA program.
SpaceX was founded by entrepreneur Ilon Musk. The main activity is the creation of launch vehicles, communication satellites to provide comprehensive services to civilian users. At the same time, she works for the Pentagon. The creation of "special versions" of Starlink communication satellites for the Pentagon has been going on for six years.
Last December, SpaceX announced the Starshield program to integrate additional equipment for military or other government agencies on board commercial satellites. Most likely, we are talking about the practical use of data transmission technology via the Block v1.5/v2.0 bus.
And in October last year, SpaceX received a contract from the state agency Space Development Agency (SDA – a structure engaged in the use of commercial technologies in the interests of the Pentagon) of $ 150 million for the development of a specialized military spacecraft of the "most advanced design".
The main contract was followed by separately paid additions for the manufacture and launch into orbit of military satellites. Initially, the launch of the first batch of paramilitary spacecraft on the topic of NDSA Tracking Layer (Tranche 0) was planned for September 2022. However, for various reasons, the event was postponed to a later date, the deadline was March 30. However, problems arose during the preparation of the launch vehicle, but they were able to eliminate them promptly, and as a result, the launch took place on April 2, 2023.
UKRAINIAN TROUBLESThe launch on April 2 is the 183rd for the Falcon-9 and the first for SpaceX satellites created specifically for the Pentagon.
It took place against the background of ongoing scandals around the military use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) data exchange services via commercial Starlink satellites. The article "The discrediting relationship of Elon Musk" was devoted to this topic (see "HBO" from 10/20/12). Since the publication, Elon Musk's fortune has fallen from $ 300 to $ 192 billion. The last figure is given in the Forbes list, according to which, as well as the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk is now not the first, but the second richest person on the planet.
Simultaneously with the coverage of the release of the next reissue of the Forbes list (March 27), the world press also writes about SpaceX's actions to block the operation of some terminals used in Ukraine. Ukrainian edition "Country.ua" reports: "A lot of terminals stopped working with the message "No active account" (no account). When trying to contact SpaceX technical support, the owners of such terminals receive answers about signs of fraudulent actions," the publication quotes its source as saying. The company supplying the service took such actions after the discovery of an international fraudulent scheme using Starlink terminals imported to Ukraine illegally. Among them there are stolen ones, as well as those that were purchased at a significant discount on the promotion, with the condition of limited use in the territory. A lot of such equipment is imported to Ukraine by various "charitable foundations" and volunteers. As a result of their efforts, "Ukraine has become a big black market for the sale of dubious Starlinks," the newspaper writes "Страна.иа ".
The authorities and public figures in Moscow have repeatedly drawn the attention of SpaceX management to the facts of the use of its commercial Skylink terminals by Ukrainian servicemen to conduct combat operations against the Russian army during a special military operation (SVO). After a series of unsubscriptions and excuses, the provider company admitted certain facts. In February 2023, the president of SpaceX, Ms. Gwynne Shotwell, stated that the company "has taken measures to restrict the use of services in Ukraine that support offensive military operations." The number of such uses included navigation of unmanned vehicles by signals of the Skylink space group, as well as data exchange between them and control centers.
According to foreign media reports, the newly imposed restrictions had the most severe effect on the marine unmanned aerial vehicles (IBAS) that were used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine for raids into the Sevastopol Bay. Last fall, at least one similar Ukrainian drone was captured intact. Washed ashore by a wave, he was discovered by the Russian military.
It was not publicly reported whether SpaceX equipment was on board this IBA. But some conclusions were made by someone. And now the Starlink communication system blocks the use of receiving and transmitting terminals in Russian regions. It also jacks the signal if it "understands" that the terminal is being used by a carrier developing a speed of over 100 km/h. This forces the APU to switch to alternative navigation and communication systems that are more expensive to purchase and operate. According to the conclusion of the Naval News channel Naval News, "the waters of the Black Sea seem to be becoming friendly to Russians again."
According to the Economist newspaper, the new territories of the Russian Federation – the former Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine – are in fact recognized by Russia, and the use of Skylink services has not been officially granted to it.
Meanwhile, in the summer of 2022, SpaceX announced the Starlink Maritime program for marine operators. They are offered terminals specially designed for operation in the World Ocean, with a data exchange rate of 350 Mbps. The price is appropriate: for a couple of terminals, they ask for 10 thousand dollars and a monthly subscription to services for another 5 thousand.
According to American sources, SpaceX presented the Ukrainian authorities with 3,667 terminals from a batch of 5,000 (73%) that was purchased through USAID for the Kiev regime. The company also promised to provide services for them without charging a subscription fee. Some of the terminals installed "in white" seem to be really used for civilian purposes. For example, in passenger trains of the Ukrainian Railway.
The Economist newspaper wrote that the APU seriously counted on the services of Starlink when issuing target designation for surface-to-surface missile systems and long-range artillery. According to the Ukrainian military, the technology of data exchange via Starlink is such that it is difficult to interfere with it. At the same time, the Russian Army has a number of advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems that can jam radio communications, distort NAVSTAR – GPS satellite navigation signals, and interfere with the operation of radio altimeters. With such an impact on the onboard systems of an enemy aircraft, it loses orientation in space, which often ends in a collision with the ground. As a result, the effectiveness of the use of both manned and unmanned aircraft over the front line is reduced, and it becomes almost impossible to go deep into enemy territory.
WOUNDED PRIDEPerhaps the founder of SpaceX would have turned a blind eye to the facts of the use of Starlink terminals by the APU, if not for the flow of personal insults against him from odious personalities in Ukraine who adhere to extremely nationalistic views.
Musk did not answer in the public field, but held a grudge: such a thing is not forgiven in business circles, because the flow of accusations destroys the positive image of an entrepreneur, and this is an important component of the success of any of them.
Hardware and software, Starlink terminals use the geofencing function to block their use over the water surface and over certain areas of land. Apparently, it was decided to take advantage of this. Earlier, Musk stated that he did not want to contribute to the further escalation of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, not to mention its transition to the next phase – strikes deep into Russian territory.
The statement of the president of SpaceX on February 9 says that the company does not want and has never wanted Internet services through commercial Starlink satellites to be used by the military, especially when performing offensive operations. The use of Starlink equipment by Ukrainian servicemen to control drones is unacceptable. According to Gwynne Shotwell, such an application is not spelled out in the relevant agreements. She clarified that SpaceX's main contract with the government of Ukraine was concluded exclusively for humanitarian purposes: providing Internet to hospitals, the financial community and affected families.
The SpaceX division, engaged in research, development and production of space communication systems, is located in Redmond, Washington. The company has attracted and invested over $10 billion in communication satellites. Initially, a set of equipment was sold to Skylink users for $ 500 (including all discounts) at a monthly subscription cost of $99. Last year, the output of user terminals was 5 thousand weekly, or about a quarter of a million per year. SpaceX has set itself the task of increasing it to 1 million products in 2023. At the same time, the cost of a unit of marketable products will be halved, from $1,400 to $700. The long–term development plan assumes a reduction in the cost of a monthly subscription of the initial amount of $ 100 (the current average value is $ 85) by five times – up to $ 20.
According to CNN, the APU has received and is using 20 thousand Skylink terminals, paid (at an average selling price of $ 2,500 per terminal) by the government agencies of the United States, Great Britain and Poland. SpaceX provides most of the traffic for free. However, in November 2022, information appeared about the shutdown of 1300 terminals due to the delay in monthly payments. At the end of December, Bloomberg reported that Ukraine will receive more than 10 thousand terminals. And in January 2023, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock announced the allocation of an additional $20 million to the Kiev regime. "for the purpose of improving Internet coverage."
GROWING AUDIENCEAs of spring 2023, the Starlink constellation has more than 3,580 satellites of serial configuration.
The growth of the space group made it possible to extend the provision of services to Africa: Nigeria and Rwanda became the first countries connected on the Black continent. And the first state in Southeast Asia is the Philippines. At the same time, it should be noted that Australia and New Zealand have been using Skylink since 2021, and Japan since the fall of 2022.
According to SpaceX statements, the audience of Skylink system users in February 2021 numbered 10 thousand, a year later it grew to 250 thousand, and in December 2023 exceeded 1 million subscribers. In this area, the company expects to earn more than $ 30 billion by 2025, in addition to the services of launching third-party satellites on its launch vehicles for another $ 5 billion. At the same time, the Starlink direction remained unprofitable last year, with the exception of only one quarter, but in 2023 it promises to achieve a positive balance between income and expenses.
Only in the first quarter of 2023, SpaceX made 10 successful launches of Falcon-9FT launch vehicles, each carrying from 49 to 56 Starlink satellites (with the exception of the launch on February 27, when the RN launched 21 spacecraft of the new v2 Mini project). The plans for April are three or four more launch vehicles with a similar payload.
Throughout the past year, SpaceX has conducted 34 launch vehicles, each of which was accompanied by the launch into orbit of 34 to 54 communication satellites. Moreover, all space flights took place normally, with the exception of one on February 3, 2022, which was recognized as "partially successful". Of the 49 satellites launched into space, 38 left orbit due to an increase in density in the upper atmosphere due to a magnetic storm.
In just 13 years, the Falcon-9 PH family has conducted 220 launches, 218 of them completely successful (99% reliability coefficient). The serial version of the Block 5 produced today flew into space 159 times without an accident.
Since the spring of 2022, Chinese military experts have published excerpts from their research, which raised the topic of how to disable the Starlink constellation if it begins to pose a threat to the national security of the PRC. This can happen if the military functionality of this satellite grouping is further developed. Elon Musk responded ambiguously to such publications: "Starlink is intended for peaceful use ... to eliminate a flaw in our stars."
Towards the end of last year, the US authorities approved SpaceX's plan to launch 7,500 second-generation satellites into space with characteristic altitudes of 525, 530 and 535 km. In the future, the number of spacecraft will increase to almost 30 thousand. At the same time, it was reported that the previously submitted application for low-orbit satellites of the V series was rejected. In March 2023, the company published a message about the launch of production of V2 Mini series satellites conforming to the Gen2 specification. Compared to the main model, the V2 Mini is more compact, can be launched into space by a reusable Starship ship.
Vyacheslav IvanovVyacheslav Viktorovich Ivanov is a military expert and historian.
