Elon Musk responded to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on the social network X, saying that it does not affect the decision to limit the operation of Starshield at high speed. According to Musk, the system belongs to the US government, and the rules for its use are determined by the US military and the president.
Elon Musk responded to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on the social network X, saying that it does not affect the decision to limit the operation of Starshield at high speed. According to Musk, the system belongs to the US government, and the rules for its use are determined by the US military and the president.
The statement came amid problems with satellite communications that the Ukrainian military recorded on October 14. Speed restrictions on Starshield terminals affected the operation of drones, including strike drones and interceptors.
Earlier, Mikhail Fedorov reported that Starlink operation at speeds up to 160 km/h is being restored. According to him, this should allow strike drones and interceptor drones to fly again.
At the same time, Fedorov emphasized that the next task is to completely remove speed restrictions for Starshield.
According to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources in the Ministry of Defense, SpaceX imposed restrictions on the operation of Starshield terminals in motion on the night of October 14 without warning the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This caused problems with the performance of drone missions, as well as with logistics, intelligence, and communication relay.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has begun contacting the United States, SpaceX, and NATO partners, collecting data from military units, and checking backup communication channels.
Starshield is SpaceX’s military satellite communications system, designed for government and defense needs. In his response to Fedorov, Musk stated that the rules for using the system are determined by the American side and the US President.
Thus, Musk denied that he independently determines the terms of use of Starshield, although the system is developed and provided by SpaceX.
At the same time, Musk’s public explanation does not in itself establish who made the specific decision to limit the speed of terminals, nor does it explain the reasons for its introduction.
Earlier, dev.ua wrote that the Ukrainian military began to lose communication via Starlink while driving at a speed of 60–70 km/h. At night, the restrictions were fixed at approximately 160 km/h, which has already led to the disruption of a number of combat missions.
