In the letter to Musk, the lawmakers said service disruptions on Oct. 13-24 and on Nov. 12 could have complicated Ukrainian military operations. The senators want to find out who made the decision to impose the restrictions and whether people outside SpaceX were involved, The New Voice of Ukraine reported.
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They also criticized the lack of transparency in how such decisions are made and stressed that reliance on private satellite infrastructure creates risks for Ukraine and the U.S. government.
The request covers SpaceX documents and correspondence dating from Sept. 1, including communications among Musk, company leadership, the White House, and the Pentagon. The company was asked to answer the questions and confirm that the relevant materials are being preserved by Nov. 30.
On Nov. 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said significant disruptions in the Starshield satellite system had been recorded in Ukraine for several days, including speed restrictions at 161 kilometers per hour (about 100 mph) that were once again in effect.
This prevents Ukraine, among other things, from [using drone interceptors, which cannot reach the speed needed to shoot down a Shahed, Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has faced similar restrictions before. On Oct. 14, the Ukrainian side reported a drop in speed, when the Starshield connection cut out at speeds above 160 km/h (about 99 mph), causing military missions to fail. Full restoration of satellite communications for the military was reported only on Oct. 24.
