A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off carrying 53 Starlink internet satellites, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in May 2022. Japan's military is testing Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service with an eye to adopting the technology next fiscal year, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday, citing unnamed government sources. The Ministry of Defense already has access to communication satellites in geostationary orbit, but use of Starlink technology, operated by Musk's SpaceX, would add a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, the Yomiuri said. Japan's Self-Defense Forces have been testing Starlink since March with the system deployed in about 10 locations and in training, the newspaper said. Starlink technology is being deployed by Ukraine on the battlefield, and Russia is attempting to block its use in the region.

Source: The Guardian June 25, 2023 22:06 UTC