Musk says U.S. military decides Starshield limits amid Ukraine service disruption
In short
Elon Musk said limits on Starshield's speed or use are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president, The Hill reported. The cause of Ukraine's loss of military access remained unclear, while its defence minister said SpaceX was working to restore satellite speeds.
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SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said on October 14 that limits on the speed or use of Starshield are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president, according to The Hill. The outlet reported uncertainty over what caused Ukraine's military to lose access to the system. Musk said on X that commercial Starlink is owned and controlled by SpaceX and that its use is limited to civilian or defensive activities, excluding offensive military action. [ 3 ]
A source familiar with the matter told The Hill that Starlink services had been cut off for objects travelling faster than 100 miles an hour, affecting Ukrainian drones, airplanes and helicopters. Ukraine's defence minister said SpaceX was working to restore satellite speeds. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the slowdown a big mistake, warned of deaths if attacks continued without working Starlink, and suggested there might be a major technical problem at SpaceX. Senator Thom Tillis asked Musk to explain the disruptions and whether they were unintended. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
A source told The Hill that a cutoff affecting objects travelling faster than 100 miles an hour impaired Ukrainian drones, airplanes and helicopters. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that people could die if attacks continued while Starlink did not work.
Key facts
- Musk said Starshield speed and usage limits are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. [ 3 ]
- The Hill reported that the cause of Ukraine's loss of Starshield military access was unclear. [ 3 ]
- Ukraine's defence minister said SpaceX was working to restore satellite speeds. [ 3 ]
- Zelensky called the Starlink slowdown a big mistake. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- What caused Ukraine's loss of military access to Starshield. The Hill explicitly reported that the cause was unclear.
- The reported speed-based cutoff affecting Ukrainian aircraft and drones. The Hill attributed a cutoff for objects travelling faster than 100 miles an hour to an unnamed source familiar with the matter.