**Saudi Arabia Approves SpaceX’s Starlink for Aviation and Maritime Use**
On Tuesday, President Trump’s key advisor and American billionaire Elon Musk announced that Saudi Arabia has approved the use of SpaceX’s Starlink for aviation and maritime purposes, for which he expressed gratitude.
During the Saudi-US investment forum held on Tuesday, Musk made the announcement, thanking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for approving Starlink for maritime and aviation use.
Abdullah Alswaha, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia, expressed appreciation for having a lifelong partner and friend like Elon in their Kingdom, collaborating on AI, Starlink, robotics technology, and Tesla.
Starlink is a satellite network service owned and operated by Musk’s SpaceX. The company has signed contracts with multiple US airlines to deploy Starlink services on aircraft. In a bid to attract new users, SpaceX has recently started offering its Starlink hardware for free outside the US.
Starlink utilizes over 6,300 satellites launched by SpaceX into designated orbits closer to Earth to provide internet connectivity. The significant role of Starlink was demonstrated early in 2022 during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where it ensured communication for the Ukrainian military amid Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.
At the investment forum in Saudi Arabia hosted on Tuesday, Musk also briefly discussed his other commercial aspirations in the region, promising to bring Tesla robotaxis to Saudi Arabia without specifying a specific date.
“I believe that introducing self-driving cars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be very exciting if you are willing,” he said.
Musk also showcased several Tesla Optimus humanoid robots that are currently in development to President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, receiving a warm welcome. During the visit, Trump also secured a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund and the private office of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal hold shares of xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup.
(Translation with reference to CNBC)