Italy in talks over $1.5 billion SpaceX security services deal, Bloomberg News reports

FILE PHOTO: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is shown as it is prepared for another launch attempt for Polaris Dawn, a private human spaceflight mission, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. September 9, 2024. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo

(Reuters) -Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX over a 1.5 billion euro ($1.55 billion) deal for the company to provide secure telecommunications to the government, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.

Discussions are ongoing and a final agreement on the five-year contract has not been reached, but the project has already been approved by Italy's Intelligence Services and Defence Ministry, the report said, citing unnamed sources.