Starlink · SpaceX · Donald Trump · Elon Musk · Ukraine · White House · The Verge
Elon Musk’s dangerous grip on outer space
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As SpaceX throttles Ukraine’s Starshield, experts warn that Elon Musk’s de facto monopoly over launch and satellite tech poses a major threat to global security.
Key facts
- But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was a direct message from the US amid rising tensions between himself and President Donald Trump
- Starlink access has been deliberately restricted there before, including in 2022, when coverage was not extended to cover a counterattack operation in Crimea
- SpaceX doesn’t share prices for its launches publicly, but both Whitman Cobb and Karasu say they’ve heard complaints that Falcon 9 launches are getting more expensive, particularly for low Earth
- Musk first said that SpaceX has no control over Starshield and decisions are made by the US military, while the White House denied taking action
Summary
Last week, Starshield, the version of SpaceX’s Starlink used by the Ukrainian military, was throttled to block terminals traveling above certain speeds from accessing the service. The Ukrainian military reported receiving no advance warning about the Starshield speed restriction. Since then Musk and Trump have traded denials back and forth. The finger-pointing is of little interest to Ukrainians, who are focused on trying to defend their country from a brutal ongoing Russian invasion.