Elon Musk offers to help tsunami-hit Tonga with Starlink services amid internet blackout

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has offered to help Tonga reestablish communications with the outer world with his Starlink internet services after a massive undersea volcano eruption disrupted communication lines in the archipelago nation. Tonga suffered a massive communication outage after the underwater Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted last week and cut Tonga's solitary fibre-optic cable.

Musk, who is aware of the problem, has pitched the idea of deploying Starlink satellite terminals over Tonga as the island is likely to remain offline for a month. "Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?" Musk wrote in his tweet.

SpaceX launches new fleet of satellites to expand Starlink constellation

SpaceX had recently launched a new fleet of 49 satellites to expand the Starlink constellation which aims to provide low-latency internet services. Before Musk's offer for help, Shane Reti, a politician from New Zealand had written a letter to the SpaceX CEO asking for Starlink assistance for Tonga. "I am respectfully asking if you can see your way please to providing urgent Starlink internet communications to public officials and the good people of Tonga in this moment of need", Reti's letter read.

The politician had said that he immediately sent the letter after he was informed about the communication services being down in the island. Interestingly, Musk replied to Reti's letter as he tweeted, "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."

Three killed in eruption induced tsunami

The massive volcano eruption, which was even spotted from space, triggered a tsunami across the region which reportedly caused three deaths and widescale destruction of property.

The destruction had even caused a disruption in telephone services which was reestablished after five days. The Associated Press (AP) had reported that the owner of the archipelago's lone underwater communications cable expects at least one month for full internet connectivity to be restored. 

(Image: AP)