According to a letter released Friday per a Bloomberg report, the request comes amid renewed concerns over restrictions on Starshield terminals used by Ukrainian frontline troops.
- Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said restrictions had reappeared on Starshield internet terminals used by frontline troops to deter Russian attacks.
- The development raised fears of a repeat of last month’s disruption, when Ukraine reported similar limitations in its use of the SpaceX-provided system.
- The senators warned against allowing private companies to exercise unilateral control over critical military communications infrastructure.
Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to preserve documents related to the company’s Starlink and Starshield satellite internet services in Ukraine.
According to a letter released Friday per a Bloomberg report, the request comes amid renewed concerns over restrictions on Starshield terminals used by Ukrainian frontline troops, with lawmakers signaling increased scrutiny of SpaceX’s role in the war as the new Congress prepares to convene in January.
SpaceX shares fell nearly 1% in Friday’s regular trading session, while declining more than 2% during the afterhours trade.
Senators Raise Concerns Over Starshield Restrictions
In a letter to Musk, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons asked SpaceX to “preserve all documents, communications and electronically stored information” related to its Starlink and Starshield systems in Ukraine.
“Recent restrictions on those services — which have occurred as Russia continues to carry out strikes on Ukrainian civilians — disrupted critical air defense capabilities, endangered American personnel and raise serious questions about the control SpaceX has over critical communications capabilities,” the senators wrote.
Democrats, who have gained at least eight seats in the Senate, have vowed to make SpaceX’s role in the Ukraine war a key issue when the new Congress is seated in January.
Starlink Restrictions Spark Fresh Ukraine Concerns
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said restrictions had reappeared on Starshield internet terminals used by frontline troops to deter Russian attacks.
The development raised fears of a repeat of last month’s disruption, when Ukraine reported similar limitations in its use of the SpaceX-provided system.
The senators warned against allowing private companies to exercise unilateral control over critical military communications infrastructure.
“The United States cannot permit critical national security capabilities to be subject to opaque decision-making or unilateral disruption without government authorization and accountability,” they said.
Musk Says Ukraine Violated Terms Of Service
Musk has maintained that Ukraine’s military violated Starlink’s terms of service, an allegation Kyiv has disputed.
Starlink was never intended to be used for offensive operations involving attacks on people, arguing that Ukraine’s military had violated the service’s terms of service.
“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” he added.
He also distinguished Starlink from Starshield, saying the latter is a separate system controlled by the U.S. government, while noting that what the administration decides to do with it is up to them.
Musk added that Ukraine’s use of Starlink for offensive drone strikes was done by exploiting a loophole that SpaceX moved to close last week.
What Retail Investors Think Of SPCX Stock
Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around SpaceX trended in the ‘bullish’ territory at the time of writing.
SPCX stock is down 7% year-to-date. The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) are up 12% over the past 12 months.
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