Musk appeared to confirm the talks Monday, writing on X that he is “Ready to provide Italy the most secure and advanced connectivity!” in response to a post by Andrea Stroppa, Musk’s representative in Italy.
In a statement, Meloni’s office denied that any contracts had been signed or agreements concluded between SpaceX and the Italian government to use the Starlink satellite system, but it confirmed talks are taking place.
“Talks with SpaceX form part of the normal dialogue that the government has with companies, in this case with those that offer protected connections for encrypted communications,” her office said.
However, Meloni “categorically” denied that she discussed SpaceX with Trump, describing the assertion as “simply ridiculous.”
According to the Bloomberg report, the contract would last five years and has already been approved by the Italian intelligence services and Ministry of Defense. If successful, SpaceX would provide encryption services for the government and communications infrastructure for the military and emergency services.
Musk’s Italy representative Stroppa said in his post that the deal would save Italy more than €8 billion and would be up and running in a few months, rather than the eight to 10 years it would take competitors. Stroppa is one of the people named in an Italian probe of alleged corruption in public procurement contracts, Reuters reported last year.
