Musk expressed his willingness to provide the Starlink system to assist Turkey in disaster relief communication operations, but Turkish officials declined.

(Reuters)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] A strong earthquake with a scale of 7.8 on the Richter scale hit the border between Turkey and Syria on the 6th. Aftershocks continued and the heavy casualties attracted international attention.

After hearing the news, Musk, the founder of the space exploration technology company SpaceX, expressed his willingness to provide its "Starlink" (Starlink) satellite communication service to assist the disaster-stricken area, but was declined by Turkish officials.

According to a "Business Insider" report, Turkey was hit hard by the once-in-a-century earthquake in the region, and countries have offered to help. Musk also expressed his willingness to contribute on the 6th, declaring on Twitter that SpaceX's Starlink system is not yet in Turkey. After obtaining the operating permit, SpaceX is ready to assist in the deployment of satellites in the country to assist in disaster relief and disaster reporting in the shortest possible time, pending the approval of the Turkish government.

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However, "Bloomberg" quoted an unnamed Turkish official as saying that Turkey expressed gratitude to Musk's proposal, but Turkey itself already has sufficient satellite communication capabilities, and in some areas where power is cut off, the ground receiving station can still operate. Power is provided by the reserve battery for operation, and there is currently no redundant communication requirement.

Turkey's foreign ministry has not responded to Business Insider's request for comment or confirmed whether it has formally rejected Musk's proposal.