Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to "preserve all documents, communications and electronically stored information" connected to Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine. The letter, released Friday, centers on control of the services and how availability decisions are made during the war.
"The United States cannot permit critical national security capabilities to be subject to opaque decision-making or unilateral disruption without government authorization and accountability," the senators wrote.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that limits had resurfaced on Starshield internet terminals that frontline troops rely on to deter Russian attacks. That echoed last month, when Ukraine reported similar limits on the SpaceX-provided system.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware said the recent limits on the services, imposed as Russia continues attacks on Ukrainian civilians, undermined critical air defense capabilities, put American personnel at risk, and raise serious questions about SpaceX's control over key communications.
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Musk has claimed that Ukraine's military breached Starlink's terms of service, a contention Ukraine rejects. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the letter, and SpaceX did not provide an immediate response to a Friday night request for comment.
Democrats say the company's role in the war will be a key focus when the new Congress meets in January. For investors tracking defense tech exposure, watch for any changes to access policies, how Washington defines oversight of commercial communications in combat zones, and what that could mean for SpaceX's government work and for competitors pursuing similar contracts.
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