Japan's Military Testing Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite Internet Service, Considering Future Adoption

According to a report, Japan's military is actively conducting tests on Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service to adopt the latest technological advances in the upcoming fiscal year.

The Yomiuri newspaper reported that the Ministry of Defense is contemplating using Starlink's capabilities to enhance its current access to communication satellites in geostationary orbit, citing anonymous government sources, per Reuters.

The Starlink network comprises a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, as opposed to the present satellite infrastructure, which depends on geostationary satellites. With this novel strategy, Japan's communication capabilities are anticipated to be improved, as is its ability to be more resilient to satellite assaults or communication jamming during times of war.

According to the Japanese publication, the Japanese military has been intensively testing the Starlink system since March, deploying around 10 places for training. The trials are essential for determining if Starlink's satellite internet service for military operations is practical and successful.

Despite the importance of this news, Ministry of Defense spokespeople were not accessible for comment after hours, according to the article.

Starlink Provides Military Advantage

Starlink technology is being used worldwide, not only in Japan. While Russia has sought to prevent its use in the area, Ukraine has already deployed the service on the battlefield.

The US Department of Defense announced early this month that Starlink had been awarded a contract to provide satellite services to Ukraine, emphasizing the significance of satellite communications for the nation's infrastructure.

The Pentagon stressed the crucial role that satellite communications play in sustaining dependable communication capabilities and commended its collaboration with Starlink, as reported by HNGN.

The Starlink network has stopped Russian attempts to block Ukraine's internet. SpaceX enhanced the software of the Starlink service to thwart the assaults with over 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Due to operational security concerns and the critical nature of these systems, the Pentagon withheld more details regarding the Starlink contract's specific conditions.

On Friday, SpaceX successfully launched 56 more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, further underscoring the network's growth, per UPI.

The Falcon 9 rocket utilized for the launch served as a visual representation of the ongoing work being done to expand the satellite constellation and enhance global coverage.

Elon Musk Denies Starlink's Involvement in Titan Tragedy

In another incident, Elon Musk responded to claims that SpaceX's Starlink internet connection was connected to the Titan submersible tragedy. The tech mogul recently refuted claims made in a Snopes.com fact-checking piece that claimed Starlink was utilized for communication during a mission to the Titanic disaster, according to Business Insider.

The company that organized the underwater trip, OceanGate, stated that they used Starlink's satellite-internet service for their dive operations, even though the story was subsequently edited to explain that the submersible itself did not use Starlink technology.

Tragically, the US Coast Guard has verified that all five people on the Titan submarine are believed to have died. Debris discovered close to the sunken Titanic points to a catastrophic implosion. The emphasis of the search was on a spot where it was possible to find the lost submersible based on underwater sounds that were heard there.