Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite broadband network went dark today as thousands of users around the globe reported connectivity issues.
The outage was brief. According to Downdetector.com, approximately 40,000 users reported problems early this morning before service was restored for the majority of affected customers. SpaceX, which operates Starlink, has not responded to a request for comment.
Starlink’s website reportedly acknowledged problems, but the message has since been removed.
The constellation consists of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). SpaceX regularly adds to the total with Falcon 9 launches. The company completed the 300th Starlink mission on September 13 with the deployment of another 24 satellites.
When it works, the system allows customers to access the internet with just a receiver, making it ideal for users in areas with little or no connectivity from traditional means. It has also proven invaluable in conflict zones. The service has shown itself to be an effective tool during the war in Ukraine. According to a Telegram post purporting to represent the Ukrainian Armed Forces, today’s outage resulted in Starlink terminals going down along the front line. Service was reportedly restored half an hour later.
SpaceX is based in the US and is led by an individual more notable for his online antics than technological prowess these days.
European leaders are mulling replacements for the service to reduce dependence on an increasingly unpredictable US administration. A sudden unplanned and unexplained outage won’t soothe nerves already jittery from the Trump 2.0 regime taking a chainsaw to international relations.
Starlink’s outage also comes as the constellation faces increasing competition. Eutelsat OneWeb is now operational, although it is more aimed at communities, businesses, and governments rather than consumers. Jeff Bezos’ Project Kuiper has also finally got off the ground and expects to start service by the end of this year.
Unlike Starlink, which is a division of SpaceX, Project Kuiper is not part of Bezos’ Blue Origin equivalent. It instead falls under the same unit of Amazon responsible for the Kindle and Echo. ®
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