হারিকেন মেলিসার মুখে, স্টেট ডিপার্টমেন্ট জ্যামাইকার এলন মাস্কের স্টারলিঙ্ক কোম্পানির দিকে ফিরেছে
The State Department has enlisted Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to assist its personnel in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, disrupting communications on the island nation, the agency says. “We have made Starlink available in Jamaica before and will use it for communications as needed,” an agency spokesperson said Tuesday night. If the damage is worse than anticipated, the agency is likely to use the service for direct service within Jamaica, another State Department official told Fast Company. Agency personnel at the embassy are likely to use Starshield—a version of the Starlink service specifically designed for national security applications—the second official said. The Starlink customer service could be used by small teams that may need to travel within the country, the person added. The move highlights how critical satellite-based internet can be in natural disasters, particularly when terrestrial communications services are disrupted. It also showcases how reliant the U.S. government has become on technology produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX technology company, which now encompasses everything from rocket launch services to consumer satellite internet. The State Department is among a growing number of U.S. government agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security, that are now using Starlink for a variety of purposes like video calls, real-time data support, and research in Antarctica. As SpaceX increases Starlink sales to the government, it has also developed Starshield, a national security-related service used within the Department of Defense. The State Department has purchased both services, and has deployed SpaceX technology at several embassies. (The relationship between the two services has gotten murky. A Starlink outage earlier this summer also took Starshield offline.) Separately, SpaceX often provides free Starlink service during emergencies. Asked what the company was doing to prepare for Hurricane Melissa, the company’s media team directed Fast Company to an advertisement explaining that people in Jamaica and the Bahamas could receive free service through the end of November. The company said that customers that have already created accounts, even those that have been paused or suspended, will automatically receive a free credit, while those hoping to sign up for the first time could create a support ticket. While Starlink can be a life-saving tool in emergencies, critics have expressed concerns about the U.S. government’s growing reliance on the technology—as well as Musk’s influence over SpaceX. Earlier this year, for example, Musk ordered some Starlink stations used by Ukrainian forces shut off amid efforts to reclaim territory from Russia, Reuters reported. (Translation Tag) Elon Musk
প্রকাশিত: 2025-10-29 08:22:00
উৎস: www.fastcompany.com
