Elon Musk's Starlink expands across White House complex

Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, is now accessible across the White House campus. It is the latest installment of the Wi-Fi network across the government since Musk joined the Trump administration as an unpaid adviser.

It was not immediately clear when the White House complex was fitted with Starlink after President Donald Trump took office for a second term.

Starlink terminals, rectangular panels that receive internet signals beamed from SpaceX satellites in low-Earth orbit, can be placed on physical structures. But instead of being physically placed at the White House, the Starlink system is now said to be routed through a White House data center, with existing fiber cables, miles from the complex.

White House officials said the installation was an effort to increase internet availability at the complex. They said that some areas of the property could not get cell service and that the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure was overtaxed.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the effort was "to improve Wi-Fi connectivity on the complex."

But the circumstances are different from any previous situation to resolve internet services. Musk, who is now an unpaid adviser working as a "special government employee" at the White House, controls Starlink and other companies that have regulatory matters before or contracts with the federal government. Questions about his business interests conflicting with his status as a presidential adviser and major Trump donor have persisted for weeks.

In February, Chris Stanley, who currently works as a security engineer at two of Musk's companies, SpaceX and the social media platform X, went to the roof of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex to explore installing Starlink there. Stanley has also been working with Musk's Department of Government Efficiency as a special government employee.

As Stanley opened a door leading to the roof of the building, which is directly opposite an entrance to the White House, he tripped an alarm that alerted the Secret Service to his presence. It created a dramatic scene as a uniformed officer rushed to respond, according to four people with knowledge of the incident.

A fifth person with knowledge of the event said Stanley was told earlier by the Secret Service that he could check out the roof, but the agency had not coordinated a time for Stanley's arrival.

Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said that the White House "was aware of DOGE's intentions to improve internet access on the campus" and that it "did not consider this matter a security incident or security breach."

Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, also said it was not considered a breach or a security incident.

White House officials said that Starlink had "donated" the service and that the gift had been vetted by the lawyer overseeing ethics issues in the White House Counsel's Office.

Some former officials were unclear about how such a donation could work.

Clare Martorana, a former chief information officer at the White House during the Biden administration, said that typically people cannot simply give technology to the government. She said the White House's chief information officer would need to sign off on a new system to ensure it was properly secured, as would the chief information officer at the General Services Administration.

Stanley worked to set up the new Starlink system in concert with the White House internet technology office, which he is an adviser to while also being assigned to work at the Justice Department, one of the people familiar with the matter said.

The White House is the latest government property on which Starlink now operates.

In recent weeks, Starlink was also set up at the General Services Administration, which has served as a hub for Musk's government-shrinking efforts, according to documents and people familiar with the service.

While several federal agencies contract with Starlink, the satellite service is typically used to provide internet access in emergency situations and to remote locations -- not at federal buildings in Washington, which already have ample internet options.

Starlink is generally seen as a reliable network. In October, the Federal Emergency Management Agency contracted with Starlink to distribute terminals for the service across North Carolina after Hurricane Helene hit the state. The service has also been crucial to Ukraine's defenses against Russia, with SpaceX estimating to the Defense Department that it cost $400 million to support the effort over a 12-month period around 2022.

It is less clear, however, that the Starlink internet service will significantly expand wireless internet capacity in buildings where fiber cables already provide access.

It was also unclear if Starlink communications were encrypted. At a minimum, the system allows for a network separate from existing White House servers that people on the grounds are able to use, keeping that data separate.

"It's super rare" to install Starlink or another internet provider as a replacement for existing government infrastructure that has been vetted and secured, said Jake Williams, a vice president for research and development at Hunter Strategy, a cybersecurity consultancy. "I can't think of a time that I have heard of that."

"It introduces another attack point," Williams said. "But why introduce that risk?"

One official with knowledge of the discussions about installing Starlink at the White House, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the Secret Service was concerned that the Starlink system might be piped in through existing secure hard wiring at the White House that is used by the Secret Service, as well as other federal agencies. The fact that the internet service is now working through a different data hub appears to have addressed that concern.

At the General Services Administration, where the use of Starlink was reported earlier by NBC News, the service has been added to a list of apps approved for download on the agency's mobile devices. That list also includes apps of two other Musk-led companies, X and Tesla, according to documents seen by The New York Times.

"Only apps that meet G.S.A.'s security and privacy standards are allowed," an agency spokesperson said in a statement. The agency declined to comment on its use of Starlink.

Musk has expressed frustration at what he views as outdated technology in government and blazed ahead with an effort to modernize it.

Soon after Trump was sworn in, Musk complained that a digital system known as WAVES, which allows the Secret Service to approve guests to enter the White House grounds, was clunky. Some White House officials shared that assessment. Musk tasked Stanley with fixing it, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesperson, said the agency "collaborates closely with" Musk's team and has continuing discussions. At this time, he added, "no formal changes have been made to the White House visitor access system."