Starlink poised to take over $2.4 billion contract to overhaul air traffic control communication
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Summary
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, is reportedly set to win a $2.4bn contract to overhaul the communications system for the US’s air traffic control system.
The company, which is a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, is said to be preferred as the preferred bidder for the Federal Aviation Administration contract, which was initially awarded to Verizon.
The news is likely to raise accusations of favouritism and conflicts of interest as Musk leads efforts to slash government spending by laying off thousands of federal workers.
Starlink’s systems are already used by the US Army and NASA, with its terminals being provided to the FAA on an emergency basis ‘at no cost to taxpayers’, according to Musk.
Four commercial plane crashes in the last 11 weeks, as well as several private plane crashes and near misses, have called the safety of the air traffic control system into question.