Ukraine has said SpaceX restricted "military-grade" Starlink services, hampering its drone strike missions and air defences.
The complaint has renewed attention on the line between Starlink, SpaceX's commercial internet service, and Starshield, a military version built for the Pentagon.
Elon Musk said on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military or the president.
Starlink, he said, is a commercial service owned by SpaceX, and its use is limited to civilian or defensive activities because offensive military action would be inappropriate for a commercial company.
What Is Starlink
Starlink is a satellite internet network of more than 11,000 satellites, beaming broadband directly to user terminals about the size of a folded newspaper.
It has roughly 13 million subscribers, ranging from households and hikers to shipping firms and airlines. Reuters describes it as the main profit engine of SpaceX.
Since the first satellites were launched in 2019, SpaceX has built a low-Earth-orbit constellation that covers much of the planet. It offers faster connections than traditional communications satellites, which orbit much farther from Earth and are far fewer in number.
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Starlink gave Ukraine a critical communications edge early in the war. Musk has since restricted its use for certain military purposes while pointing to Starshield as a more secure option.
What Is Starshield
Starshield is a SpaceX business unit that develops military and intelligence satellite systems for the Pentagon. Its secure communications services use enhanced encryption and dedicated terminals, but rely on the Starlink constellation as their backbone.
SpaceX says it can also offer Earth observation and the integration of sensors or other payloads.
The Pentagon is its largest customer and has spent billions of dollars on both services. Reuters reported in 2024 that it also bought dedicated satellites, including craft for missile warning and a spy constellation for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Where The Line Blurs
Questions about the two have persisted since Russia threatened Western satellites supporting Ukraine in 2022. The secrecy around national security space programmes has kept the boundaries unclear.
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The issue came up earlier this year when the Pentagon clashed with SpaceX over higher prices for satellite services used by military drones during the Iran conflict.
SpaceX argued that some customers paying about $5,000 per terminal for Starlink should instead use a Starshield service costing about $25,000 per terminal.
Growing adoption
Britain has also adopted Starshield. Its defence ministry has told Reuters the service uses the same constellation, ground stations and terrestrial infrastructure as Starlink, but runs through dedicated terminals and separate network gateways.
New Zealand is trialling the system to assess its usefulness for military operations.
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