--- title: "Elon Musk Offers Starlink Internet at Volcano Disaster Site, Then Hesitates" description: "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk offered the people of Tonga Starlink internet access after the island nation was ravaged by a volcano blast." date: "2022-01-21" modified: "2022-01-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-starlink-tonga" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Offers Starlink Internet at Volcano Disaster Site, Then Hesitates ![SpaceX CEO Elon Musk offered the people of Tonga Starlink internet access after the island nation was ravaged by a volcano blast.]() *\Image: New Zealand Defense Force via Getty Images\* ## Disconnection Notice The small island nation of Tonga was devastated by a gigantic volcano eruption that seemingly [swallowed an entire island whole]() over the weekend. The blast was so strong that it released an estimated ten megatons of energy, the equivalent of [500 atomic bombs](). Now, the nation is picking up the pieces. Most of its islands were covered in a thick layer of ash by the blast, [including its airport](), making landing and takeoff impossible right now. Residents are also cut off from the world, as the eruption appears to have severed undersea communications cables as well, likely leaving residents without internet [for an entire month](). But SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is diving into the fracas — offering to provide connectivity to Tonga via the company's Starlink internet service before seemingly hesitating about the proposal. "Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?" he [tweeted]() early Friday morning. ## Starlink Emergency For the record, it does seem like officials would be interested in the proposal. "After the Minister told me in a phone call on Monday that the telecommunications cable to Tonga was down I immediately sent a letter to Elon to see if he would contribute Starlink to the emergency," Shane Reti, a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, wrote in a tweet. But getting the Starlink terminals to Tonga may prove difficult. "This is a hard thing for us to do right now," Musk admitted in a [follow up tweet](), "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," he added. SpaceX has already come to the rescue before with its Starlink system, [helping out responders]() fight fierce wildfires in Washington back in 2020. But will the space company be able to step up to the plate? Tonga is a million times more remote than Washington state. And Musk has dived headfirst into emergencies previously, before ultimately not being able to help — remember when he [proposed a boy-sized submarine]() to rescue children who were trapped in a cave? **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk offers to send Starlink terminals to Tonga to help restore internet access, after a volcanic eruption broke its communication links]() \[*Insider*\] **More on Starlink:** *[Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet Dishes Are Attracting Cats]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()