SpaceX: Due to measures, the Ukrainian army cannot use Starlink for drones

SpaceX says it has taken measures to prevent the Ukrainian armed forces from using the Starlink satellite network to deploy drones. According to the company, it was never the intention to use the satellites for offensive purposes.

At a Federal Aviation Administration news conference, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s chief operating officer, said the company is pleased to help Ukraine’s fight for freedom, but that the Starlink deployment was “never intended to be armed’. According to her, the Ukrainians have used the network in ways that were not intended and are not part of the agreement, writes Reuters.

Shotwell referred to reports that the armed forces have used the service to monitor drones. She states that there are “things we can do to limit this capacity” and that that has been done. However, she declined to answer questions about what precise measures SpaceX has taken.

SpaceX wants Starlink to be used for communications purposes only. To this end, the company has supplied the necessary Starlink terminals to Ukraine, part of which was funded by SpaceX and part by the US and France. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the presence of the Starlink service is essential for military communications.

In May last year said SpaceX boss Elon Musk says that his company has managed to thwart Russian attempts to disrupt and hack satellite connections, but that attempts to do so are being stepped up from Russia. The Starlink network suffered several outages late last year, although SpaceX has not provided details. A question was raised about whether these disruptions were related to SpaceX’s efforts to counter offensive use of Starlink, but Shotwell declined to comment.