Washington Retained Leverage Over Starlink Service, Report Says

Former US officials say Washington retained a measure of control over SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications system by requesting changes to its service in Ukraine and the Middle East.

According to their account, US authorities asked for the service to be switched off and back on several times in those regions.

The officials described that influence in terms of service requests, rather than US government ownership of the system, which belongs to the American company SpaceX.

Their account highlights the relationship between Washington and a privately operated communications network. The summary did not identify the former officials or specify when the requests were made.