马斯克出手加持，乌克兰获得“星链武器”？

When war broke out in Ukraine, the country faced threats of Russian cyberattacks and shelling that had the potential to take down the Internet, making it necessary to develop a backup plan. So the country’s minister of digital transformation, tweeted a direct plea to Musk urging him to send help. Musk replied and soon after, a number of terminals and powerful batteries arrived in Ukraine. Others soon followed.

当乌克兰战争爆发时，该国便面临俄罗斯网络攻击和炮击的威胁，这些威胁可能会瘫痪互联网，因而制定备用计划显得很有必要。因此，该国的数字化转型部长在推特上直接向马斯克请求帮助。马斯克回复后不久，一些终端设备和供用电池便抵达乌克兰，更多数量的设备随后也陆续抵达。

right now, it's more than 10,000 units in Ukraine.the Ukrainian government has been installing the Starlink dishes in areas hit hard by the Russian invasion. Supplying to military and hospitals comes first, then some enterprises who want to conduct business. Starlink has become the one of the most downloaded application in Ukraine

目前，在乌克兰有超过一万台星链设备。乌克兰政府将它们安装在受到战争重创的地区。这些设备将会首先供用给军队和医院，然后是一些需要经营业务的企业。现在，星链已经成为乌克兰下载量最多的应用之一。

Starlink is the name of a satellite network developed by the private spaceflight company SpaceX to provide low-cost internet to remote locations. SpaceX eventually hopes to have as many as 42,000 satellites in this so-called megaconstellation.

星链由私营航天公司SpaceX所开发，该计划通过卫星网络来为偏远地区提供低成本的互联网。SpaceX最终希望在该计划中拥有多达42000颗卫星。

Plug in the dish - or terminal as it's officially called - and it will automatically connect itself to the nearest Starlink satellite in the sky.

在插入天线（也就是终端）之后，它将自动连接到天空中最近的星链卫星。

The satellite then communicates with the nearest ground station, or gateway, which supplies the internet.

然后卫星与最近的地面基站或提供互联网的网关进行通信。

These gateways are located around the world, but they can't be too far away from the place getting an internet connection. Fortunately for Ukraine, there is a gateway in neighbouring Poland.

这些网关分布在世界各地，但是它们不能离需要连网的地方太远。不过幸运地是，乌克兰邻国波兰就有一个网关。

The internet connection travels from the gateway to the satellite, and then to the terminal. Users simply plug their router into their terminal and the tech takes care of the rest.

因此简单来说就是网络连接从网关传输到卫星，然后到终端。用户只需要将他们的路由器插入终端，剩下的就交给技术人员了。

One of the major issues with previous iterations of satellite internet is the delay, but Starlink's constellation of satellites is a relatively new technology - they operate in low-Earth orbit, so the delay is measured in milliseconds rather than seconds.

以前的卫星网络迭代的主要问题之一是延迟，但是星链的卫星系统是一项相对较新的技术—它们在近地轨道上运行，因而延迟可以低到以毫秒来衡量。

Some astronomers likened the impact of megaconstellations on astronomy to light pollution. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) expressed concerns that starlink can pose a significant or debilitating threat to important existing and future astronomical infrastructures.

一些天文学家把数量众多的星链卫星对天文学的影响比作光污染。国际天文联合会担心该计划可能会对现有和未来重要的天文基础措施构成重大或削弱性的威胁。

SpaceX received more backlash from aerospace field. Some say that Starlink satellites represent the single main sources of collision risk in low Earth orbit. Also SpaceX, a newcomer into the satellite business, is now the single most dominant player in the field whose decisions can affect safety of all operations in low Earth orbit.

此外，SpaceX同样受到了来自航天领域的反对，一些声音指责星链卫星是近地轨道碰撞风险的单一主要来源。且作为卫星业务的新成员，SpaceX现在是该领域最具主导地位的单一参与者，其决策可能会影响近地轨道所有运营的安全。

Starlink is of particular military significance in areas where the infrastructure is weak and there is no internet connection. It has become a vital communication tool for Ukrainian soldiers, and Ukraine's army is making very successful use of it for drone attacks on Russian tanks and positions.

星链在基础设施薄弱且没有互联网连接的地区具有特殊的军事意义。它已经成为乌克兰士兵一个重要的通信工具，并且乌军正在成功地利用星链对俄方坦克和阵地进行无人机攻击。

The aerial reconnaissance unit Aerorozvidka is using Starlink to monitor and coordinate unmanned aerial vehicles, enabling soldiers to fire anti-tank weapons with targeted precision.

乌克兰一支空中侦察部队Aerozvidka正在使用星链监控和协调无人机，使士兵能够有针对性地发射反坦克武器。

The Kremlin considers Musk's support of Ukraine an aggression. A Russian official called previously declared purely civilian Starlink's activities interference.

克里姆林宫方面把马斯克对乌克兰的帮助视作一种挑衅。一名俄罗斯官表示之前被宣称完全用来民用的星链在乌克兰的活动无疑是一种干预。

Last month, Elon Musk warned Ukrainians that the Russian military might decide to bomb buildings with visible Starlink dishes on them.

上个月，马斯克警告乌克兰俄军可能会利用可见的星链信号接收器来轰炸建筑物。

So far, the Russian military doesn't appear to be targeting Starlink dishes.

但目前看来，俄军尚未针对星链终端发动攻击。