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California Democratic Reps. Sam Liccardo, Ro Khanna and Jimmy Panetta sent a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles calling for a government-wide investigation into a temporary restriction of SpaceX's Starshield service in Ukraine. The letter follows Wall Street Journal reporting that Elon Musk ordered the restrictions, which were later lifted after a call between Musk and President Trump.
Ukraine has depended heavily on SpaceX's Starlink for civilian communications and military drone operations throughout the war with Russia, with the US and European allies funding terminals and subscriptions. Recent unexplained service disruptions, reportedly tied to Elon Musk's political stances, have pushed Ukraine and European partners to examine alternatives to the network. A BlueBird Tech hardware engineer told Ars that Starlink remains unmatched in cost, availability and ease of use, though access to the US military-grade Starshield variant has also been extended to Ukraine's defense sector.
SpaceX is reportedly negotiating with Crown Castle, one of the largest US cell tower owners, to gain access to at least 80,000 sites, according to Bloomberg sources. That would cover roughly half of the nation's 158,500 operating cell towers, per Reuters. Crown Castle's CEO declined to confirm specifics but said the company is in talks with multiple parties.
President Trump spoke with Elon Musk about lifting speed caps currently placed on Starlink satellite internet service used in Ukraine, according to a report. The conversation touched on Ukraine's reliance on the Starlink network, which has faced restrictions affecting connection speeds for users there.
Ukrainian officials say SpaceX abruptly throttled speeds on its Starshield service, disrupting internet connectivity for drones and aircraft moving faster than 100 mph. A senior Ukrainian commander told The New York Times the restrictions cost his unit over $1 million and delayed missions by three days, while reports differ on whether Elon Musk or the Trump administration ordered the change.
Ukraine's armed forces are using a basic version of SpaceX's Starshield service, which runs on Starlink's standard hardware but includes different features tailored for military use. The system supports communications and coordination across Ukrainian military operations.
Meta is reportedly pursuing creative financing arrangements to support its large-scale AI investments, according to a roundup also noting that a Starlink slowdown impaired Ukraine's defense against Russian attacks, and that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a 'humanitarian.'
An opinion piece argues that Elon Musk has mishandled his approach to bringing Starlink's satellite internet service into India. The commentary suggests his current diplomatic strategy with Indian authorities and regulators needs significant revision for the venture to succeed.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk, not the US military or President Trump, made the call to throttle Starshield's military-grade Starlink service used by Ukraine. The cap limited connectivity for hardware moving faster than 160 kph, degrading the performance of Ukrainian offensive and interceptor drones. Both Musk and Trump have denied Trump ordered the restriction, which followed public criticism from both men over Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
Elon Musk announced a special committee has been established to evaluate merging SpaceX with Tesla, a deal he described as a 'good idea.' Musk said he would recuse himself from the discussions due to his conflicted position, while SpaceX separately reported third-quarter revenue up 161% year-over-year.
Elon Musk said special committees at Tesla and SpaceX are evaluating a potential merger of the two companies, which together could be valued around $3.5 trillion. He emphasized no agreement has been reached and any deal would require shareholder approval, with at least 50% of Tesla shareholders needing to sign off.
Elon Musk told analysts on a SpaceX earnings call that a merger between Tesla and SpaceX is being actively explored, with special committees formed at both companies to examine terms. He cautioned no deal is guaranteed and any merger would require shareholder approval, but said he believes it has 'a lot of merit.' Tesla is valued around $1.5 trillion and SpaceX at $2 trillion, meaning a combined entity would rank among the largest mergers ever.