Starshield Speed Caps Fully Lifted in Ukraine, General Staff Data Shows

Starshield speed restrictions affecting Ukrainian military operations have been fully lifted, according to data from Ukraine’s General Staff on October 26.

Testing has confirmed stable satellite communication connections at speeds of up to 470 kilometers per hour.

The first incident was recorded at 1:43 a.m. on October 14, when Starshield connections began dropping on fast-moving Ukrainian systems. Before that point, no speed restrictions had been detected.

Starshield is the military-focused version of SpaceX’s satellite communications service used by Ukrainian forces to maintain connectivity for drones, aircraft, logistics, and other fast-moving battlefield systems. UNITED24 Media reported that the service is also used by interceptor drones hunting Russian jet-powered Shahed-type UAVs, making stable high-speed connections important for air defense.

Initial monitoring found that the connection limit was effectively triggered at around 60 kilometers per hour. Ukrainian units reported losing connectivity at different speeds, but later analysis identified a two- to three-minute delay between exceeding the limit and the eventual loss of connection.

SpaceX technical support maintained that the restriction should have applied only at 161 kilometers per hour.

By 8:13 p.m. on October 14, Ukrainian monitoring confirmed that the limit had shifted to approximately 161 kilometers per hour.

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War in Ukraine

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The restrictions disrupted Starshield, SpaceX’s military-focused satellite communications service used by Ukrainian forces for drone operations, logistics, and other missions requiring stable connectivity while moving.

On October 24 at 1:10 a.m., monitoring recorded a decline in the number of connection errors. By 6:10 a.m., Ukrainian specialists concluded that the restrictions were no longer active.

Tests were subsequently conducted at speeds of up to 470 kilometers per hour without the previous connection limits reappearing.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Elon Musk personally ordered the Starshield slowdown, despite later writing that speed and usage limits were controlled by the US military and ultimately the president.

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