SpaceX's Starlink internet service will soon be used by the U.S. Air Force, thanks to a new million-dollar contract. 

(Photo : Photo by GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2020. - NASA astronauts Hurley and Bob Behnken are set to depart for an extended stay at the International Space Station on the SpaceX Demo-2 mission.

The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command's contracting service explained that they chose the Starlink service since it is the only broadband system that can operate in a hostile electronic environment. 

This was shown when Elon Musk decided to help the Ukraine residents affected by their country's conflict with Russia. 

Now, does the new U.S. Air Force contract mean that the SpaceX Starlink internet service is being militarized? 

Starlink Militarization? 

According to SpaceNews' latest report, the latest contract of SpaceX with the U.S. Air Force costs $1.9 million. 

(Photo : Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images)
A long exposure was used to create this image) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch complex 39A on May 6, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was carrying another batch of Starlink internet satellites to be deployed to a growing low obit constellation providing Internet access coverage to 32 countries.

Also Read: Researcher Demonstrates How To Hack SpaceX's Starlink Satellite With An Open Source $25-Hacking Tool

This deal will have a duration of one year, allowing the American defense department to evaluate SpaceX's internet service.

Air Force officials said they plan to test the broadband services in Africa and Europe before August ends. 

The defense organization's justification document explained that their extensive study revealed that Starlink is the only internet vendor that can provide efficient broadband services in the Air Force's focused areas. 

"Starlink is the only LEO constellation communications company that currently provides this commercial satellite solution with services to Europe and Africa," added the U.S. Air Force.  

What Starlink Sat Models Will Be Used? 

The Air Force Mag reported that the latest million-dollar contract would allow the U.S. defense department to take advantage of the first-gen or the high-performance satellite terminals of SpaceX Starlink. 

This means that the Air Force units can take advantage of the static or fixed Starlink sites and the portable or mobile Starlink terminals, allowing them to have efficient broadband connections. 

If you want to see further details about the latest collaboration between SpaceX Starlink and the U.S. Air Force, you can visit this link. 

On the other hand, the SpaceX Starlink Southeast Asia expansion previously began, making the Philippines the first Asian country to have it. 

Meanwhile, Elon Musk previously announced that they'd reached almost 5,000 Starlink users. 

For more news updates about Starlink and other internet services, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

Related Article: SpaceX's Starlink Design Change To Reduce Brightness; 2nd-Gen Satellites To Use Three Light Mitigations

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Written by: Griffin Davis