Two Democratic U.S. senators have asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to preserve records tied to reports that Ukraine experienced limitations on access to Starlink and Starshield satellite services, officials disclosed in a letter the lawmakers reviewed, according to reporting on Friday.
The request, directed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons, seeks communications and internal documents concerning service disruptions that the senators say occurred between October 13 and October 24 and again on November 12. The lawmakers said those interruptions impaired Ukrainian military operations.
In the letter, Shaheen and Coons asked for records beginning September 1. They requested correspondence involving Musk, SpaceX executives, the White House and the Pentagon, and asked for clarification on whether any party outside SpaceX had authorized the reported restrictions.
The senators set a November 30 deadline for responses and for confirmation that relevant records have been preserved. The inquiry comes as SpaceX this week denied that it had imposed restrictions on Ukraine's satellite access.
Recent reports say Musk ordered speed limits on Starlink in October, and that President Donald Trump later intervened and asked for those limits to be removed. The reported throttling reportedly affected communications used by Ukrainian drones and interceptors, which senators contend could have weakened battlefield operations and hampered defenses against missile attacks.
Ukraine relies heavily on SpaceX’s civilian Starlink network and on its military-grade Starshield services for battlefield communications and defensive tasks, the senators noted. In their letter, they stated that Russia launched nearly 4,000 strikes against Ukraine during October’s disruption.
The episode has exposed conflicting accounts among administration officials about who, if anyone beyond SpaceX, authorized the October restrictions. That divergence of explanations prompted the preservation request and the inquiry from Shaheen and Coons.
Democratic lawmakers are preparing wider oversight of the Trump administration’s handling of the war in Ukraine following gains that secured congressional majorities in the November midterm elections. Senator Coons is expected to become chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when the new Congress convenes in January, and Democrats say planned oversight could extend beyond the current matter.
The potential scope of investigations could include scrutiny of Musk’s previous role in government and of the administration’s use of artificial intelligence systems, the letter and subsequent reporting indicated. Meanwhile, U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia and Ukraine have not produced a major breakthrough.
Context and next steps:
- Shaheen and Coons seek a range of communications and internal documents dating from September 1 related to the October and November reports of service disruption.
- The senators want confirmation that relevant records are preserved and an explanation of whether any entities outside SpaceX authorized the restrictions.
- SpaceX has denied imposing any restrictions on Ukraine’s satellite access this week.