Significant failures and system limitations in the operation of the Starshield military satellite system have been recorded along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Significant failures and system limitations in the operation of the Starshield military satellite system have been recorded along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy based on the results of reports by Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapaty.
Starshield is a specialized SpaceX satellite platform for military and government needs, built on Starlink technology.
Main features of the system:
The Ukrainian military discovered that the Starshield terminals had a system-wide speed limit of 161 km/h (100 mph). An investigation confirmed that these were not accidental technical glitches, but intentional restrictions.
The main threat posed by these restrictions has been the significant difficulty in intercepting Russian jet drones. Due to the fact that the weapons do not have time to develop the necessary speed and lose control or communication, additional hits on enemy targets have already been recorded at the front.
"Unfortunately, there are already hits due to the fact that the means of shooting down do not develop sufficient speed and do not have time to intercept. This helps the Russians kill more Ukrainians and deliver more accurate strikes on Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The Ukrainian side is currently trying to clarify all the circumstances of this situation in communication with American partners.
Recall that in mid-October, there was already a limitation on the operation of Starlink terminals : when moving at a speed of more than 160 km/h, communication began to disappear, which disrupted a number of important missions. Conventional satellite communication terminals, which did not move at such speeds, worked.
Starlink/Starshield speeds were restored after about 10 days. The Department of Defense officially confirmed that the system was once again maintaining stable communication at speeds of over 400 km/h.
