The small south Pacific island nation of Tonga was devastated by a large underwater volcanic eruption last weekend.
The eruption and subsequent tsunami resulted in significant damage to many critical pieces of infrastructure. One of those was the underwater cables that provide Tonga with internet, leaving them without access for at least one month until repairs can be made.
As has been the case with other recent natural disasters, Elon Musk wants to help by providing Starlink terminals to the island nation.
“Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?” he tweeted late Thursday evening.
Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022
Tesla enthusiast @WholeMarsBlog was quick to point out that Dr Shane Reti had just a few hours earlier penned a letter to Musk requesting assistance from Starlink.
Musk replied by saying it will be a difficult task as there are not “enough satellites with laser links and there are already geo[stationary satellites] that serve the Tonga region,” while again asking for clear confirmation from officials.
This is a hard thing for us to do right now, as we don’t have enough satellites with laser links and there are already geo sats that serve the Tonga region. That is why I’m asking for clear confirmation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022
If SpaceX is able to do it, we can be sure they will provide Tonga with as many Starlink terminals as they need to restore internet access.
SpaceX has already done so in Germany after being ravaged by floods, and also last year after Kentucky was devastated by a massive tornado.
