Starshield and the mysteries of the White House. What is Starshield?

Starshield appeared in public debate on the morning of October 14 after some satellite signal receivers in Ukraine stopped working. The problem concerned terminals placed on fast drones and lasted for several hours. Initially, it was indicated that these were problems with Starlink. What happened in Ukraine with satellite communication? "The operation of the Starlink terminals was disrupted that night. The connection began to disappear while moving at speeds above 160 km/h. As a result, many important missions could not be accomplished" - wrote Serhij Sternenko, a former advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, on X. This information angered the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Hey, Elon Musk, great man, are you playing politics with your products again?" - wrote Radosław Sikorski. Musk is at the head of SpaceX - among other things, the owner of Starlinks. Serhij Beskrestnow, the advisor to the President of Ukraine, explained on his Telegram channel that the restrictions concern not Starlinks as such, but the "military package", i.e., the Starshield services. Finally, Musk also spoke. "The Starshield systems are the property of the US government and remain under its control. Any restrictions regarding speed or mode of use are set by the US military, and ultimately by the President of the United States" - he informed on X. On Friday, Reuters reported that the decision to restrict the operation of the Starshield system for the Ukrainian military was made in the White House, and the Pentagon received an order to slow down the service. The agency referred to information from American officials. The agency's sources did not indicate who specifically issued the order, and a representative of the US administration denied that it was done by Donald Trump personally. For Ukraine, access to Starshield is a crucial matter. Communication disruptions can affect the operation of drones intercepting Russian unmanned aerial vehicles. It can even completely prevent their use. Lack of internet access also hinders the carrying out of medium-range drone strikes and logistical support on the front. In an interview with the British news journalist Piers Morgan, the President Volodymyr Zelensky called the satellite communication blockade for Ukraine a "great mistake". - People are dying - he added. The restrictions were lifted on the evening of October 14, announced by the former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mychajlo Fedorov. "Thank you, Elon Musk. We hope for your further support" - he wrote on X. What is Starshield and how does it differ from Starlink? Let's clarify what communication systems we are talking about. - Starlink is a commercial satellite system by SpaceX providing internet access. Starshield, however, is a service intended for government institutions, primarily for national security tasks - Mateusz Mitkow, editor-in-chief of the Space24 portal, stated in an interview. Mitkow was one of the few journalists in Poland who noted the launch of the Starshield system in December 2022. Since then, few people in public space have mentioned the "Star Shield". As reported by the editor-in-chief of Space24, Starshield "is based on the technologies being developed for the Starlink, but has different requirements regarding security, purpose, and control of the system". The description was expanded in a post on X by Lieutenant Colonel and military analyst Maciej Korowaj. "Under this name are separate satellites built for the American intelligence and space forces and a communication service for the troops, which operates in the same constellation as regular Starlink, but through dedicated terminals, separate ground gateways, and encryption permitted for classified data" - he explained. According to the information on the SpaceX website, the Starshield system also enables ground observation using sensors. Commercial Starlink does not offer this. - These can be optical instruments recording images in visible light or radars that allow for observation also at night and in cloudy weather. Starshield likely includes both solutions - says Mitkow. However, he points out that detailed information on this is not public. Who manages the Starshield system? - Regarding management, in the case of Starlink, we are dealing with a commercial service provided by SpaceX. The company has a significant influence on its operation, technical configuration, and terms of service - says the editor-in-chief of Space24. In the case of Starshield, the situation is different. - This system is the property of the US government and remains under the strict control of the Pentagon. Decisions regarding the use of military satellite capabilities and possible restrictions therefore belong to the American authorities - emphasizes Mitkow. The situation is complicated, however. As Mitkow adds, "SpaceX remains the technology provider, so it may participate in the implementation of such decisions". Starshield through Starlink. The military tariff plan In December 2024, Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon signed a contract for Ukraine's access to Starshield, covering a total of three thousand terminals. It was not specified who pays for it. - Poland finances the Starlink terminals provided to Ukraine and the subscription fees for access to satellite internet. This should not be equated with financing Starshield - says Mitkow. According to Korowaj, the problem in Ukraine concerned the service realized using Starshield terminals (on Earth) and the Starlink constellation (in space). As he wrote on X, it is about a "tariff plan adapted for military use". Which countries use the Starshield system? The list of states that have access to Starshield remains a secret of the White House. However, the United Kingdom has officially confirmed its use. As Reuters reports, from 2025, the country has about a thousand Starshield terminals, for which it has spent 13 million pounds (about 67 million zlotys) along with a subscription. It already had more than a thousand Starlink terminals under its control. New Zealand also informed about the system's tests. It is unknown whether Poland has access to Starshield. The TVN24+ editorial office sent a question to the Ministry of National Defence. As of the publication of the article, we have not received an answer. When "European Starshield"? Other powers are working with their own systems. - Russia is developing the Rassvet constellation, which is to provide satellite communication for civil and military needs, thus providing a response to solutions like Starlink - explains Mitkow. As the expert adds, several large projects are being developed in China, and the country has greater capabilities for both production and launch of satellites. - The European Union, including Poland, is developing the IRIS2 program, which is its own satellite constellation intended, among other things, for secure government communication. In August, the European Commission informed about the expansion of the planned constellation to 348 satellites and the acceleration of the schedule. The first satellites are to be launched into orbit in 2029 - Mitkow reports. The expert points out that "this is not a solution that could replace the services offered by SpaceX on the Ukrainian battlefield today". Edited by Daniel Pawluczuk