Telespazio teams with Musk's SpaceX for Starlink services

Staff members work at the Launch Control Room of the Telespazio's Fucino space centre, in Ortucchio, close to the city of L'Aquila, Italy, April 9, 2024.REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Telespazio, a joint venture between Italian defence and aerospace group Leonardo and French peer Thales, has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX to commercialise the services of its satellite unit Starlink, it said on Thursday.

SpaceX's Starlink owns around 60% of the roughly 7,500 satellites orbiting earth and is a dominant player in the satellite internet sphere.