SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is offering technology from his company’s Starlink to the Federal Aviation Administration to “restore air traffic control connectivity” as he warns the current systems pose a safety risk.
Without citing evidence, Musk shared on X that the air traffic control communication system managed by L3Harris is “breaking down” and that “the situation is extremely dire.” In his X post, Musk incorrectly stated the communication system was managed by Verizon, but he later corrected himself.
“The FAA assessment is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk,” Musk wrote. “The Starlink terminals are being sent at NO COST to the taxpayer on an emergency basis to restore air traffic control connectivity.”
The FAA is close to cancelling its $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to take control of the nation’s air traffic control system and extending the offer to Musk’s Starlink, according to the Washington Post.
The aviation agency contracted Verizon in 2023 to build a system called the FAA Enterprise Network Services Program to replace a system dating back to 2002. FENS will connect approximately 4,600 sites, according to the FAA.
The FAA shared that “no decisions have been made” regarding the Verizon project, which was set to have a 15-year lifespan.
The Trump administration has reportedly tapped a team of employees from SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, to help modernize the FAA’s aging technology.
However, some lawmakers such as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) are fearful of a conflict of interest if the FAA adopts Starlink because Musk has been charged to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which is conducting a review of government spending and contracts.
“While I support efforts to modernize our air traffic control system and improve aviation safety, this decision raises conflicts-of-interest concerns, given Elon Musk’s dual position as Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and wide-ranging role in the Trump administration,” Markey wrote to Chris Rocheleau, acting head of the FAA, on Wednesday.
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The Trump administration has already laid off hundreds of FAA workers, but none of them were air traffic controllers.
Just last week, aviation industry groups and labor unions called on lawmakers to approve “emergency funding” to modernize air traffic control technology and boost staffing. Musk’s X post comes a month after an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. A preliminary investigation revealed that one air traffic controller was managing the helicopters in the area and planes landing and taking off, a job normally done by two people.