Elon Musk says Starshield, the military version of Starlink, is controlled by the U.S. government, and that any limits on its speed are decided by the U.S. military and, in the end, the president. He wrote it on X on Wednesday, October 14, in reply to Ukrainian official Mykhailo Fedorov, who had thanked him for restoring drone connectivity at speeds up to 100 mph (160 km/h). Musk’s post does not say whether a limit exists or who ordered it.
What Musk said
Musk wrote that Starshield systems are “owned and controlled by the US government.” He described Starlink as a separate commercial service that SpaceX owns and controls, limited to civilian or defensive use and not meant for offensive military action. Fedorov, for his part, said removing the speed limit entirely is critical for Ukraine’s defense.
What Ukraine says
Ukrainian officials say a cap of about 100 mph began without warning and is knocking drones offline. Their accounts of the speed where links fail range from about 40 mph to about 75 mph, and they differ on whether Starlink or Starshield is affected. We covered the claims in Ukraine Says SpaceX Capped Starlink Speed for Military Drones. Ukrainian defense officials suggest Washington is behind the slower speeds, but we have seen no public evidence that either SpaceX or the U.S. ordered the cap.
Some of the suspicion comes from timing. President Trump has been pushing an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. On Saturday, October 10, Musk shared a video of Trump calling for a presidential election in Ukraine and wrote, “Zelensky has gone too far.”
What the U.S. side says
A U.S. official, who was not named, has said the Trump administration had nothing to do with the restrictions. The White House is also said to have informed Ukrainian counterparts that it does not control SpaceX, and that it would contact the company. President Trump has denied threatening to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine. We have not seen a separate statement from SpaceX.
Our take: Musk’s reply sorts out who owns each system, but it leaves the main question open. If a cap exists, someone chose it, and each party can now point at another: SpaceX at the Pentagon, the Pentagon at the White House, the White House at SpaceX. Watch for a statement from SpaceX or the Pentagon, whether the 100 mph cap is lifted, and the result of Ukraine’s own review.
