U.S. Democrats Ask Musk to Preserve Starlink Speed-Limit Records After Jensen Huang Draws Scrutiny

Two Democratic U.S. senators have written to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, asking him to preserve all records concerning restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Starlink and Starshield. According to Odaily, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons called restrictions affecting Ukraine in October and November “unsettling,” and said the vulnerabilities could exist in systems used by the U.S. government. They said the issue raised serious questions about SpaceX’s control of communications systems critical to national security and asked Musk to provide written confirmation by November 30 that all appropriate safeguards had been implemented. Starshield, developed by SpaceX as a military version of Starlink, primarily serves the U.S. government and military. Ukraine has reported multiple times since October that aircraft equipped with Starshield terminals lose connectivity when traveling faster than 160 kilometers per hour, disrupting several military missions. Musk has said the U.S. government controls Starshield and that restrictions on speed or use are determined by the U.S. military, ultimately depending on U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has denied involvement in the speed limits.