WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - The acting head of the

Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that members

of Elon Musk's DOGE government reform team did not make the

agency's decision to test Starlink terminals.

Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau also said at a U.S.

Senate hearing that no Starlink terminals have been plugged into

the air traffic control system and that no DOGE employees are

involved in the decision-making process around the deployment of

additional terminals.

Musk's SpaceX owns Starlink. The FAA said earlier this month

it was testing eight Starlink terminals in Alaska to restore

access to weather information and in Oklahoma City and Atlantic

City.

Musk last month posted on X that "the FAA assessment is

single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air

traveler safety at serious risk."

Senator Ed Markey repeatedly pressed Rocheleau if he agreed

with Musk's assessment.

Rocheleau did not directly answer but said he could assure

the flying public that air travel is safe. "I would also say the

air traffic system is in dire need of upgrade," he said.

The FAA had three special government employees from SpaceX

and now the agency is only in contact with one of them,

Rocheleau said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Verizon

earlier this month for not moving fast enough and soon plans to

ask Congress for tens of billions of dollars to reform air

traffic control.

Many Democrats have cautioned that the FAA could cancel a

$2.4 billion contract awarded in 2023 to Verizon and give

it to Starlink because of Musk's close ties to President Donald

Trump.

Musk, who is leading the so-called Department of Government

Efficiency federal downsizing operation, has criticized the

current FAA telecom system. But Starlink has denied it wants to

take over the Verizon FAA contract.

The Government Accountability Office says the FAA must take

urgent action to address aging air traffic control systems,

saying that one third are unsustainable.