Japan’s armed forces have been testing the Starlink satellite communications network from Elon Musk’s SpaceX since March, the defense minister said, confirming an earlier report in the Yomiuri newspaper.
(Bloomberg) — Japan’s armed forces have been testing the Starlink satellite communications network from Elon Musk’s SpaceX since March, the defense minister said, confirming an earlier report in the Yomiuri newspaper.
“Threats are growing, and it’s becoming even more important to improve the resilience of satellite communications, for example by using multiple satellite networks,” Yasukazu Hamada told reporters Tuesday. The air, land and sea branches of the Self-Defense Forces are all involved in the trial, he added.
The Yomiuri said Sunday that Japan was considering introducing Starlink from April next year, and was planning to test other service providers.
The US announced this month it was buying Starlink services for use by Ukraine’s military. US military officials have praised the role that portable Starlink terminals have played in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in keeping the civilian population connected and in providing crucial communications for the country’s armed forces.
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