FAA Says It Is Testing Starlink in Alaska in Bid to Improve Weather Data

Agency's trial of the satellite terminals raises questions about potential conflict of interest.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 04:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites to orbit on February 22. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is beginning to test Starlink satellite terminals to improve its communications system, especially for reliable weather data in Alaska, starting with three non-safety critical sites.
This move raises conflict of interest concerns due to Starlink owner Elon Musk's advisory role to President Trump and the involvement of SpaceX personnel, some with "ethics waivers," in federal government spending-cut initiatives.
The FAA's testing of Starlink comes amid an existing 15-year, $2 billion contract with Verizon for communications modernization, with Verizon denying any knowledge of contract modification and former FAA officials expressing vetting concerns.

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The FAA this week announced it will test Starlink satellite terminals to improve its communications system, a move that raises concerns about a conflict of interest given Starlink owner Elon Musk’s role in the federal government.

In a statement, the FAA said it has long had issues relaying reliable weather data to pilots in Alaska. It said it had been considering the use of Starlink “since the prior administration” and will install terminals at two “non-safety critical sites” in Alaska, as well as one in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Bloomberg News, which first reported the FAA’s use of Starlink, said the agency will deploy a network of 4,000 terminals over the next 12 to 18 months.