Rubio changed his tune on October 21: Ukraine’s access to Starlink is governed by a private commercial contract between SpaceX and Musk, and has nothing to do with the White House. Hegseth said the Pentagon had issued no order: “Starlink has the right to make decisions about its terms of service.” The WSJ says Musk can change the course of a conflict with the flick of a switch
At 1 a.m. on October 14, without warning, the speed of mobile “Starshield” terminals was capped at 160 km/h; previously, speeds of 400–700 were normal. After the cap, even 130 was unsustainable. At 110–120, connections dropped for 10–20 seconds, missions were aborted, and Ukrainian drones were rendered nearly useless
The WSJ says Musk gave the order and spoke with Trump before and after the story broke; SpaceX asked the White House to “get its messaging in sync.” An earlier Reuters version said the order came from inside the White House. On the 16th, Trump said, “It wasn’t me or him”; on the 19th, he said he didn’t know who it was. Rubio said Ukraine had never had Starshield (reserved for U.S. military use), only commercial Starlink. No one denied the speed cap; the motive appears to have been anger over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries. Coverage was also switched off in 2022
SpaceX rose more than 9% in premarket trading, on the same day it reported its first profitable quarter since going public. Geopolitical risk had not been priced in; the “power to flip the switch” was seen as an asset. Just last month, Hegseth appointed Musk, Raki, and Gingrich to the “Meridian Initiative”
The significance lies not in the truth, but in two signals: for the first time, a private company has been shown to possess “tactical-level veto power”; and the weaponization of ToS sets a precedent, giving Europe the strongest incentive to accelerate its search for alternatives.
Whether the speed cap has been fully lifted—the thanks from Fedorov suggest that restoration depends on Musk’s goodwill, not contractual rights; the White House investigation’s findings; signals from European orders for replacement satellites. Every additional flip of the switch adds another vote for NATO’s domestic-production budget.
$SPCX
#据报马斯克下令限速乌克兰星链 #股票财报季
At 1 a.m. on October 14, without warning, the speed of mobile “Starshield” terminals was capped at 160 km/h; previously, speeds of 400–700 were normal. After the cap, even 130 was unsustainable. At 110–120, connections dropped for 10–20 seconds, missions were aborted, and Ukrainian drones were rendered nearly useless
The WSJ says Musk gave the order and spoke with Trump before and after the story broke; SpaceX asked the White House to “get its messaging in sync.” An earlier Reuters version said the order came from inside the White House. On the 16th, Trump said, “It wasn’t me or him”; on the 19th, he said he didn’t know who it was. Rubio said Ukraine had never had Starshield (reserved for U.S. military use), only commercial Starlink. No one denied the speed cap; the motive appears to have been anger over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries. Coverage was also switched off in 2022
SpaceX rose more than 9% in premarket trading, on the same day it reported its first profitable quarter since going public. Geopolitical risk had not been priced in; the “power to flip the switch” was seen as an asset. Just last month, Hegseth appointed Musk, Raki, and Gingrich to the “Meridian Initiative”
The significance lies not in the truth, but in two signals: for the first time, a private company has been shown to possess “tactical-level veto power”; and the weaponization of ToS sets a precedent, giving Europe the strongest incentive to accelerate its search for alternatives.
Whether the speed cap has been fully lifted—the thanks from Fedorov suggest that restoration depends on Musk’s goodwill, not contractual rights; the White House investigation’s findings; signals from European orders for replacement satellites. Every additional flip of the switch adds another vote for NATO’s domestic-production budget.
$SPCX
#据报马斯克下令限速乌克兰星链 #股票财报季