FAA Reportedly Considering Musk-Owned Company For $2 Billion Air Traffic Control Modernization Contract

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering canceling its $2.4 billion air traffic control communications system contract with Verizon and instead enlisting Elon Musk’s satellite company, sources told The Washington Post.

The potential shift to Starlink, the satellite communications infrastructure under SpaceX, comes after a December General Services Administration (GSA) report highlighting an “urgent” need to modernize the FAA’s dated systems. The SpaceX founder has repeatedly criticized the agency’s air traffic control systems and suggested Verizon’s involvement contributed to recent deadly aviation incidents.

“To be clear here, the Verizon communication system to air traffic control is breaking down very rapidly,” Musk wrote Thursday. “The FAA assessment is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk.”

Verizon announced its partnership with the agency through the FAA Enterprise Network Services (FENS) contract in 2023, an initiative meant to modernize air traffic control systems and communication between agency offices — though the FAA said in an X post Monday it has considered switching to Starlink “since the prior administration.” The FAA also said SpaceX employees are already working with the agency to update its aging communications infrastructure and testing Starlink systems at “non-safety critical” facilities in Atlantic City and Alaska. Some SpaceX employees already have FAA email addresses, according to The Washington Post..

“Alaska has long had issues with reliable weather information for the aviation community,” the agency wrote. “That is why the FAA has been considering the use of Starlink since the prior administration to increase reliability at remote sites, including in Alaska. This week, the FAA is testing one terminal at its facility in Atlantic City and two terminals at non-safety critical sites in Alaska.”