Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine 33 days ago, their aggression has affected the lives of millions and caused the destruction of important infrastructures across the country. Civilian casualties and injuries have put emergency response teams on high alert. After Russian soldiers started to destroy communication’s infrastructures, Ukrainian authorities feared that it would leave its brave teams without a reliable way to maintain communication in order to coordinate civilian safety and rescue operations.
The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov asked SpaceX founder Elon Musk for help with connecting communities to the Starlink broadband constellation soon after Russian soldiers attacked the country on February 24. SpaceX rapidly delivered thousands of Starlink user terminals that actively provide internet service to the war-torn country.
SpaceX’s constellation of approximately 2,200 internet-beaming satellites ensures Ukrainian residents can maintain reliable internet service to communicate. The Ukraine Ministry of Health says a total of 590 SpaceX Starlink user terminals will be delivered to hospitals and health centers, according to Ukrinform, a Ukrainian news source. "Starlink global satellite stations [user antennas] are already being deployed in healthcare facilities around the country. Thanks to SpaceX's broadband satellite, our hospitals will always be able to remain connected. This is extremely important in times of war," said Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Liashko.
The Starlink user terminal is very easy to install with an App that provides instructions for setting up the network. Starlink became the most downloaded App in Ukraine, according to data by Sensor Tower. Ever since the company delivered Starlink user terminals to Ukraine, global downloads of the Starlink App via Google Play and the Apple App Store have more than tripled during the past weeks. The Starlink App has been downloaded a total of 98,000 times across Ukraine as of March 14th. For information about the Starlink internet service, visit SpaceX's official website Starlink.com.
A new batch of Starlink stations! While Russia is blocking access to the Internet, Ukraine is becoming more open to the entire world. Ukraine is the truth. The truth always wins. Thank you, @elonmusk, the Government of Poland, and Orlen. pic.twitter.com/TP0kpn3rPS
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 18, 2022
Featured Image Source: SpaceX
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
