Elon Musk invited to Pacific Island Leaders Meeting

Source: Tonga Talk/

SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been invited to attend the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting, scheduled to be held from August 26 to 30, 2024 in the Kingdom of Tonga.

according to Talking about TongaThe invitation reportedly came from the Tongan government in recognition of Musk’s assistance to the island nation following the February 2022 eruption and tsunami of the Honga-Hupai volcano in Tonga.

After the disaster, Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink service provided emergency satellite internet terminals to Tonga to help restore communications.

This support has once again proven critical as Tonga faces an ongoing internet crisis following damage to undersea cables in the 29 June earthquake. The outer islands of Ha’apai and Vava’u have been severely affected, with internet access limited.

The Tongan government has granted Starlink a six-month temporary license to operate in the country while maintenance work is carried out. However, these works have been delayed due to a breakdown of a dedicated maintenance ship en route from Singapore.

Semisi Panuve, chief executive of Tonga Cable, said last week that the timeline for full internet restoration remained uncertain, depending on the extent of the damage and the availability of alternative cable TV.