SpaceX's Starlink experienced a major disruption on Thursday after an internal software malfunction caused a global outage, leaving many users without service.

 

 

Outage monitoring site Downdetector reported that connectivity issues began around 3 p.m., primarily affecting users in the U.S. and Europe. During the incident, the platform recorded over 61,000 user complaints.

 

 

In a statement on X, Starlink, which provides satellite internet services to more than 6 million customers across approximately 140 countries and territories, acknowledged the outage. The company stated that it was "actively implementing a solution."

 

 

According to Michael Nicolls, the vice president of Starlink Engineering, service began to resume after 2.5 hours. In an update on X, Nicolls explained that the disruption was due to a “failure of key internal software services that operate the core network” and expressed regret, adding that the team was working to identify the root cause.

 

 

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, also responded via X, apologising for the outage and promising that SpaceX would address the root cause to prevent future occurrences.

 

 

Experts highlighted that such a widespread failure is rare for Starlink, a significant contributor to global internet connectivity. Doug Madory from the internet analysis firm Kentik referred to this incident as "likely the longest outage ever for Starlink, at least since it became a major service provider."

 

 

Some analysts proposed that the disruption could stem from a software bug or an update error, while others raised the possibility of a cyberattack. Gregory Falco, who heads a space and cybersecurity lab at Cornell University, likened this incident to last year's CrowdStrike software glitch, which affected millions of Microsoft Windows devices and resulted in extensive flight delays.

 

 

Starlink has rapidly expanded, launching new satellites to cater to the increasing demand for faster services. Additionally, SpaceX is collaborating with T-Mobile to create direct-to-cell text messaging aimed at ensuring emergency connectivity in remote areas.

 

 

Since 2020, SpaceX has deployed over 8,000 Starlink satellites, establishing a low-Earth orbit network that serves military clients, the transportation sector, and rural communities with limited internet options.

 

 

It remains unclear whether the outage impacted Starshield, SpaceX's military satellite division, which has multibillion-dollar contracts with U.S. defence and intelligence agencies.