US Military Testing Starlink in the Arctic

The Pentagon has stationed 50 SpaceX Starlink satellite internet terminals in the arctic, including Alaska, Business Insider reports.

Brian Beal, a principal aerospace engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory Strategic Development and Experimentation office, confirmed the SpaceX tests to Bloomberg.

The U.S. military will be testing the Starlink internet speeds in the harsh arctic atmosphere over the next six to 12 months, Beal said. In the spring, the U.S. will determine whether aircraft can be equipped with Starlink connection, Beal says.

Russia has been increasing is presence in the arctic by reopening bases and deploying forces.

SpaceX has a total of 3,200 Starlink satellites in orbit, with 235 of them in the arctic, up markedly from a mere 20 in May, according to Beal. He expects that will expand by an additional 240 Starlinks, for a total of roughly 475 by May.

SpaceX requested the Pentagon in September to fund Starlinks to aid the Ukrainians in their war against Russia, later withdrawing that request.

At the time, SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said his company could not "indefinitely" fund the Starlink internet service in Ukraine.

SpaceX and the Pentagon did not respond to Insider at time of publication for comment.

• Musk: SpaceX Cannot Fund Ukraine's Starlink Internet Indefinitely