Microsoft partners with Elon Musk's SpaceX to woo space customers

Microsoft Corp is partnering with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk-led SpaceX and others as it targets space customers, the software giant said on Tuesday.

The partnership with SpaceX Starlink will provide high-speed satellite broadband for Microsoft's cloud computing data centers, the company said in a blog post.

Cloud companies have seen a surge in demand this year as more businesses use their services for switching to work from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

SpaceX, known for its reusable rockets and astronaut capsules, is ramping up satellite production for Starlink, a growing constellation of hundreds of internet-beaming satellites that Musk hopes will generate enough revenue to help fund SpaceX's interplanetary goals.

Earlier this month, SpaceX won a $149 million contract to build missile-tracking satellites for the Pentagon, its first government contract to build satellites.