Democratic senators have instructed Elon Musk to preserve all records regarding SpaceX restrictions on Ukraine’s Starlink and Starshield satellite services. The directive comes after reports of unexpected service limits that affected military operations on the front lines.
Ukrainian forces rely heavily on Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, for front-line communications and drone operations. These systems are key for their defense against ongoing Russian drone and missile attacks.
Ukrainian officials complained in mid-October that the service had been restricted without explanation or warning. This limitation hindered the military’s ability to conduct complex strike missions against Russian forces and slowed down interceptor drones used to shoot down incoming attacks.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons outlined their concerns in a letter to the SpaceX chief executive. The text of the letter was reported by media outlets on Friday.
The October and November restrictions raise the disturbing possibility that these vulnerabilities persist even within systems on which the US government relies, the senators wrote.
The lawmakers requested all SpaceX records dating back to September 1. This demand includes communications related to Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine, along with correspondence between Musk, SpaceX executives, the White House, and the Pentagon.
Shaheen and Coons argued that the restrictions raised serious questions about SpaceX control over communications systems critical to national security. They criticized opaque decision-making by the company.
Reuters reported in October that an order to limit the Starshield service used by Ukrainian forces came from inside the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later disputed that account, stating that decisions regarding Ukraine access to the service were up to SpaceX and Musk.
Ukraine announced later that month that Starlink and Starshield were operating normally again. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that military units had once more recorded disruptions to Starshield communications.
