Elon Musk says he's testing out SpaceX's Starlink internet on his private jet

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Elon Musk says he's testing out SpaceX's Starlink internet on his private jet
Elon Musk says he is testing Starlink internet on his plane.Nina Lyashonok/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIME
  • Elon Musk said he's testing SpaceX's Starlink internet on his private plane.
  • He said in a tweet that Starlink was working "quite well" on his plane but needed "polishing."
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Elon Musk said on Monday that he's testing out SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet on his private jet.

"I am testing Starlink on the plane. Some polishing needed, but it's working quite well," Musk tweeted. He also wrote in the Twitter post that he works while traveling on the jet.

His tweet was part of a Twitter thread about SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell defending Musk, following sexual misconduct claims involving a flight attendant working on the billionaire's plane, which Insider first reported on Thursday.

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"Astute observers of my plane (and there many) will note that I don't use a flight attendant," Musk tweeted on Monday.

According to Insider's report, SpaceX paid the flight attendant $250,000 in 2018 after she alleged that Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex during a flight in 2016. Musk denied the sexual misconduct allegations last week but didn't deny the $250,000 severance payment.

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Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, is starting to launch its satellite internet service on planes. The company inked its first deal with a major airline in April, which will allow Hawaiian Airlines passengers to receive free in-flight WiFi. Semi-private regional jet service JSX said it had also signed a deal with Starlink for its fleet.

Delta Airlines has also held discussions with Starlink and had tested out the technology, CEO Ed Bastian told The Wall Street Journal.

Starlink, which has more than 2,300 working satellites in low-Earth orbit, is available in 32 countries worldwide, SpaceX said in mid-May.

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