Elon Musk Announces Starlink Software Updates to Reduce Power Consumption so Ukrainians Can Run Terminals From Car Cigarette Lighters

Sarah RumpfMar 3rd, 2022, 5:47 pm
 
Elon Musk

Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.

War in the year 2022 has some unusual wrinkles to it, as we see Ukrainians battle the Russian state propaganda with individual citizens’ own cell phone videos and top government officials conduct international diplomacy and trade negotiation tactics over Twitter.

Such was the case this weekend when Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation for Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov implored SpaceX Elon Musk to help his country maintain internet connectivity via their Starlink satellite system. Starlink deploys over 2,000 satellites orbiting the earth to provide high speed internet access at speeds that nearly rival standard wired broadband.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has included conventional attacks on infrastructure and cyberattacks, both of which have reduced internet access across the country. Fedorov’s tweet publicly called on Musk to activate Starlink within Ukraine, and several hours later Musk tweeted that the service was “now active” and additional terminals (the earthbound devices that connect to the satellites) were “en route.”

On Wednesday, Fedorov again asked for assistance, this time regarding the electricity needed to power not just the Starlink terminals but also life-saving emergency services, tagging Musk and several manufacturers of generators in a tweet.

Musk replied about an hour later, noting that SpaceX had updated the software “to reduce peak power consumption, so Starlink can be powered from car cigarette lighter.” He also reported that mobile roaming had been enabled, to make it possible to maintain a signal even while in a moving vehicle.

In several tweets later Wednesday afternoon, Musk issued an “Important warning” for Ukrainian users to use caution with the Starlink terminals, to avoid being targeted by Russians determined to cut Ukraine off from the world. “Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine,” he wrote, “so probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution.” He urged users to turn on the devices “only when needed” and to place the antennas “as far away from people as possible.”

SpaceX has continued to launch additional Starlink satellites into space, including 47 new satellites that were launched into orbit Wednesday morning via a Falcon 9 rocket. A later @SpaceX tweet confirmed that all 47 satellites had been successfully deployed.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.