Elon Musk to visit Sri Lanka this year to launch Starlink

Elon Musk has accepted an invitation from President Ranil Wickremesinghe to visit Sri Lanka this year to launch his Starlink satellite internet service, the Daily Mirror reports.

President Wickremesinghe, along with his climate affairs advisor Ruwan Wijewardene, met Musk in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss various topics including renewable energy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and global politics.

Although the specific dates for Musk’s visit to Sri Lanka are not yet determined, the Sri Lankan government will coordinate with Musk’s team to finalize the details.

A source mentioned, “It all depends on how Sri Lanka expedites the approval process and as soon as it is done, Elon will arrive in Sri Lanka to launch Starlink. Tentatively it was discussed that he will arrive in Sri Lanka at the end of the year.”

Musk, the billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of social platform X, traveled to Bali to initiate the Starlink satellite internet service.

He had previously submitted an application to launch Starlink in Sri Lanka, and President Wickremesinghe agreed to expedite the process, noting that this internet service could significantly enhance rural education in Sri Lanka.

In Indonesia, a nation consisting of 17,000 islands across three different time zones, Musk is set to launch the internet service during his current visit.

Starlink’s Internet Constellation represents a major advancement in commercial satellite technology, offering nearly broadband-capable speeds through a network of small satellites that orbit the Earth at much lower altitudes than traditional satellites.

(Courtesy: Daily Mirror)