What is Starshield, Starlink's ‘military-grade’ version? How Ukraine uses two SpaceX systems against Russia | Explained

SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield services, crucial to Ukraine's fight against Russia, were abruptly restricted on Tuesday night, Ukrainian officials alleged, Axios reported. The system turned off, they claimed, when a drone exceeded 160 kph. In some cases, it disconnected when the speed went over 80 kph.

Ukraine relies on two satellite systems, Starlink and Starshield. Both systems were restricted, hampering drone strike missions and air defences, Ukrainian officials alleged, according to Axios.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a meeting in London with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, “We had massive [Russian] attacks today and it's a pity that we also had difficulties ... about Starlink and about intelligence and a lot of different surprises.”

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Starlink is SpaceX’s commercial satellite internet service, while Starshield is a military and intelligence system developed for government users. They have separate missions but share underlying satellite technology.

Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications, logistics, intelligence gathering, and operating reconnaissance and defensive drones. It has helped Ukrainian forces maintain connections with drone operators.

Starshield is designed for government and military missions, including secure communications and offensive military capabilities. It uses enhanced encryption and can integrate sensors or other payloads on platforms such as drones.

Ukrainian officials said speed limits and service disruptions affected drone missions and air defence. They warned that a 160 km/h ceiling could prevent some interceptor drones from catching faster Russian drones.

Elon Musk said SpaceX owns and controls Starlink, while the US government owns and controls Starshield. He said limits on Starshield’s speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the US president.

Meanwhile, a former Ukrainian minister commented on Starshield’s speed limit, and posted on X, "Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored. Removing Starshield's speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense."

Ukraine's complaint drew renewed attention to the distinction between Starlink, SpaceX's commercial satellite internet service, and Starshield, a military version developed for the Pentagon. While Musk has said the two systems are separate, in many cases they share the same underlying satellite technology.

Starlink and Starshield: What's the difference?

SpaceX's Starlink is used for satellite-based communications, ground forces, logistics and defensive drones — ones that shoot down incoming drones. Meanwhile, Starshield is used for offensive military purposes.

SpaceX boss Elon Musk did not directly comment on the alleged restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services, but he indirectly suggested which entity would be responsible for the limitations imposed on Ukraine.

He posted on X, "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS."

He also explained that "Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX."

Musk said that the usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, "as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company."

What is Starlink?

Starlink, the main profit engine of SpaceX, is a satellite internet network of more than 11,000 satellites that beam broadband service directly to user terminals about the size of a folded newspaper. Its roughly 13 million subscribers range from households and hikers to shipping companies and major airlines.

The first Starlink satellites were launched in 2019 aboard reusable SpaceX rockets. Since then, the company has built a vast low-Earth-orbit constellation that blankets much of the planet, delivering faster connections than traditional communications satellites, which typically operate much farther from Earth and in far smaller numbers.

SpaceX's Starlink gave Ukraine a critical communications advantage early in the war, reshaping how militaries operate on the battlefield.

Starlink allows Ukraine to guide drones to Russian targets and also protect its own skies. It is not used for long-range Ukrainian missions that have successfully targeted Russian oil refineries in recent months.

Musk has restricted Starlink for certain military uses while highlighting Starshield, a more secure network developed for government and military missions.

What is Starshield?

Starshield is a SpaceX business unit that develops military and intelligence satellite systems for the Pentagon.

While its missions are separate from Starlink's commercial broadband service, the distinction is not always clear-cut: Starlink cannot be used for offensive military action, SpaceX says. Starshield, however, allows those capabilities and uses enhanced encryption to transmit sensitive information.

Starshield relies on the vast Starlink constellation as its backbone. It leverages the technology, engineering and operational experiences of Starlink, according to SpaceX.

In addition, Starshield provides users with the ability to integrate sensors on objects like drones. The company says the militarised version can also provide users with Earth observation and the ability to integrate sensors or other payloads.

As per SpaceX:

1. Starshield launches satellites with sensing payloads and delivers processed data directly to the user.

2. Starshield provides assured global communications to government users with Starshield user equipment.

3. Starshield builds satellite buses to support the most demanding customer payload missions.

Pentagon is the major buyer

The Pentagon, Starshield's largest customer, has spent billions of dollars on both Starlink and Starshield services. It has also bought dedicated Starshield satellites, including communications spacecraft for missile-warning missions and a spy constellation for the National Reconnaissance Office, Reuters reported in 2024.

Questions over the relationship between Starlink and Starshield have persisted since Russia threatened Western satellites supporting Ukraine in 2022. SpaceX unveiled Starshield later that year, but the secrecy surrounding national security space programs has left the precise boundaries between the two systems opaque.

Those distinctions became a point of contention earlier this year when the Pentagon clashed with SpaceX over higher prices for satellite services used by military drones during the Iran conflict, Reuters reported.

SpaceX argued that some customers paying roughly $5,000 per terminal for Starlink should instead have been using a Starshield service costing about $25,000 per terminal.

Britain has also adopted Starshield. Under that arrangement, the service uses the same satellite constellation, ground stations and terrestrial infrastructure as Starlink, but operates through dedicated terminals and separate network gateways, Britain’s defence ministry has told Reuters.

Other US partners are evaluating the system as well. New Zealand is doing a trial of Starshield to assess its usefulness for military operations, the New Zealand Defence Force previously told Reuters.