SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is experiencing a major global outage today, with thousands of users worldwide reporting service disruptions. The outage has particularly impacted Ukraine’s military operations, where the service has become critical infrastructure for front-line communications.
Ukraine Military Operations Severely Affected
Ukraine’s top drone warfare commander, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, confirmed the outage’s impact on military operations via Telegram: “Starlink is once again down across the entire front line.” This represents a significant operational challenge for Ukrainian forces who rely heavily on Starlink for battlefield communications, drone operations, and coordination.
Ukraine Special Forces using Starlink internet for drones
The timing couldn’t be worse for Ukraine’s defence efforts. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has received over 50,000 Starlink terminals, with the service becoming vital for hospitals, schools, and front-line military units across the country. Poland alone has provided nearly 30,000 terminals, representing the largest single-country contribution.
Global Scale of Current Outage
Outage tracking platform Downdetector reported tens of thousands of user complaints worldwide, with over 13,000 reports flooding the service within hours of the disruption beginning. Users from across the United States, Australia, Europe, and other regions have confirmed connectivity issues.
Social media platforms are flooded with reports from affected users. Users from Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, and Michigan have all chimed in to confirm they’re experiencing problems. One user in the Pacific Northwest reported their service went down briefly before returning, though most others haven’t been as fortunate.
Potential Cause Under Investigation
Starlink said it was investigating the cause via its official website, but no detailed explanation has been provided yet. Some users have speculated the outage could be related to solar activity, with one user posting: “Huge solar storm is knocking down Starlink. Looks like KPI index it’s dropping now“.
However, no official confirmation has been provided linking the outage to geomagnetic activity. No word yet from SpaceX or Starlink’s official channels about what’s causing the problem or when service might return.
How to Check if Starlink is Down
For users wondering “is Starlink down” in their area, several monitoring tools provide real-time status information:
Official Sources:
- Starlink mobile app’s Statistics section
- Visit starlink.com for official status updates
- Type “dishy.starlink.com” in any browser for connection status
Third-Party Monitoring:
- Downdetector shows user-reported issues with geographic mapping
- StatusGator provides comprehensive outage tracking
- Reddit’s r/starlink community offers real-time user updates
These tools help distinguish between local equipment issues and network-wide outages like the current disruption.
Australian Users Also Affected
Australian Starlink users, who pay $139 monthly for residential service plus a $549 hardware fee, are among those reporting connectivity issues. Rural and remote areas that depend on Starlink as their primary internet connection are particularly affected, highlighting the service’s importance for regional connectivity.
The outage impacts various sectors, including:
- Remote mining operations requiring constant communication
- Maritime services along Australia’s coastline
- Emergency response systems in rural areas
- Students attending online classes in regional Australia
Pattern of Recent Starlink Outages
The outage is the second in recent months, following a major global disruption in July 2025 that lasted 2.5 hours and affected millions of users worldwide. That previous outage was attributed to “failure of key internal software services that operate the core network,” according to Starlink’s VP of Engineering Michael Nicolls.
The recurring nature of these outages raises questions about the resilience of Starlink’s centralised control systems, particularly given the service’s critical role in conflict zones and emergency situations.
Implications for Critical Infrastructure Dependence
Today’s outage underscores the risks of heavy dependence on commercial satellite internet for critical infrastructure. In Ukraine, where Starlink has largely replaced destroyed terrestrial communications infrastructure, such disruptions can have immediate tactical implications for military operations.
The service’s role extends beyond military applications to civilian infrastructure including:
- Hospital communications systems
- School internet connectivity
- Emergency response coordination
- Rural community connectivity
Starlink’s Global Reach and Vulnerability
With more than 7,800 satellites in orbit, Starlink customers always have multiple satellites in view, as well as multiple gateway sites and internet points-of-presence locations (PoPs). Despite this infrastructure redundancy, centralised control plane failures can still create single points of failure affecting the entire global network.
Over the past year, Starlink has expanded to 42 new countries, territories and other markets around the world while growing by 2.7 million+ active customers globally and serving more than 6 million and counting, making today’s disruption particularly impactful.
Market Context and Pricing
In Australia, Starlink’s residential service costs $139 per month with unlimited data, plus initial hardware costs of $549. Despite the premium pricing compared to traditional broadband options, the service has gained popularity in rural areas where alternatives are limited or unreliable.
The current outage highlights both the benefits and risks of satellite internet dependency, particularly for users who have invested significantly in Starlink hardware and monthly subscriptions.
What’s Next?
As SpaceX investigates the cause of today’s outage, users worldwide await service restoration and official explanations. The company’s response time and communication transparency will be closely watched, particularly given the critical nature of affected services in Ukraine and other regions.
For technology infrastructure that increasingly underpins essential services, today’s Starlink outage serves as a reminder of the importance of redundancy and backup connectivity solutions.
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available about the cause and expected restoration timeline for Starlink services globally.
