Two U.S. senators asked SpaceX to preserve records and answer questions about reported Starshield limits in Ukraine by Nov. 30, as Kyiv and the company gave conflicting accounts.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons made the request on Nov. 13, asking the company to explain who authorized any restrictions, the areas they cover and which limits remain active. Their letter also sought clarity on how decisions affecting the services are made.
The senators said Ukraine had reported renewed disruption on Thursday. They asked SpaceX to retain relevant records while responding by Nov. 30. The request brings Congress into a dispute over satellite services used by Ukraine during the war.
Ukraine’s presidency said Nov. 12 that a movement limit on Starshield terminals had returned to 161 km/h (100 mph) in temporarily occupied parts of the country. The figure concerns terminal travel, not internet connection speed, as EconoTimes explained in its earlier coverage of Ukraine’s drone-coordination complaints.
In a Nov. 13 address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said restrictions along the front line and in occupied territory made it harder to intercept jet-powered Shahed drones and counter other drones. Separately, in a Nov. 12 statement, Zelenskyy said the disruptions limited Ukraine’s ability to intercept drones and benefited Russia. Zelenskyy also said occupied territory remains sovereign Ukrainian land and argued that restrictions there could send a damaging signal about its status.
In remarks to journalists, Zelenskyy characterized limits in occupied areas as treating the territory as “not ours,” the Kyiv Independent reported.
SpaceX disputed Ukraine’s account. The company told Axios, “There has been no change.” SpaceX describes Starshield as a government and national-security service drawing on capabilities developed for its Starlink satellite network.
The latest complaint follows Ukraine’s presidency’s Oct. 24 statement that Starlink and Starshield operations had returned to pre-restriction speeds. The senators’ Nov. 30 deadline is the next stated step: SpaceX is being asked to account for who authorized the restrictions and which remain in force.
