Amongst worries that the Ukrainians using the Internet could be triangulated by the Russian armed forces, Elon Musk has tweeted about some safety procedures to keep Starlink users safe.
Starlink is SpaceX’s Internet connectivity project that aims to provide a good connection to people living in regions with low infrastructure. All you need is a satellite dish in your house to connect to Starlink.
SpaceX and Musk announced that Starlink would be available to citizens in Ukraine after the invasion of Russia, and an appeal by Ukraine officials in the government for help. His latest announcement is an update on the project as Starlink has started to grow in usage across some regions falling to Russian control.
As the only remaining non-Russian Internet connection for some Ukrainians, using Starlink for extended periods of time could be dangerous if Russian forces are trying to locate communications equipment in their region.
Elon Musk also responded to some queries by people replying to his tweet about best practices. He said you should “turn on Starlink only when needed and place antenna away as far away from people as possible”. This would help minimise the chances of being detected, and of people being affected if detected.
Additionally, he also said that people can “place light camouflage over antenna to avoid visual detection.” Spray painting the satellite dish with non-metal paint works as well, according to the SpaceX founder.
SpaceX also announced that they had launched another 47 Starlink satellites yesterday, which will improve the performance and connectivity of the entire network.
