The Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to use SpaceX’s Starlink internet system to upgrade the information technology networks it uses to manage US airspace, raising questions about Elon Musk’s conflict of interest takeover of agencies that are supposed to be regulating his businesses.
Equipment from Musk’s Starlink has been installed in FAA facilities as a prelude to a takeover of a $2 billion contract currently held by Verizon. The size of a SpaceX contract was not available.
The FAA posted on Monday that it is testing Starlink satellites.
SpaceX is angling to use its constellation of satellites to replace an aging ground-based communications system that facilitates the FAA’s text and voice communication, according to sources. The Verizon contract, awarded in 2023, was to update part of that system to a more modern standard relying on fiber optic cables.
Records show that nearly $200 million in work has already been done on Verizon’s 15-year plan for upgrades to the FAA communication system.
