White House · Starlink · SpaceX · Elon Musk · Ukraine · Donald Trump · Ars Technica
Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, then blamed it on Trump
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A Wall Street Journal report said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ordered the Starlink throttling that blindsided Ukraine’s air assault forces last week, despite Musk’s claim that all decisions on the military version of Starlink are made by the US military and President Trump.
Key facts
- The August 2024 deal was apparently the second such contract, and it reportedly allowed Ukraine to connect another 2,500 Starlink terminals to the Starshield network
- Unfortunately, they have established that the equipment stops functioning at speeds of 130–161 kilometers per hour in various sectors of the front
- A Wall Street Journal report said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ordered the Starlink throttling that blindsided Ukraine’s air assault forces last week, despite Musk’s claim that all decisions on the military
- The cap, imposed without warning early Thursday, cuts the Internet data connection when a communication terminal moves faster than 160 kph (100 mph), which is common for Ukrainian drones equipped
Summary
Trump denied ordering the restrictions. “Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine, a decision that sparked panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration,” the WSJ wrote, citing unnamed US officials and people familiar with the matter. Ukraine officials say the restriction affected Starshield, a satellite offering for the military that uses Starlink technology. “The cap, imposed without warning early Thursday, cuts the Internet data connection when a communication terminal moves faster than 160 kph (100 mph), which is common for Ukrainian drones equipped with Starshield, the military version of the Starlink satellite service offered by SpaceX.