On July 24, 2025, SpaceX’s Starlink, the world’s leading satellite internet provider, experienced a significant global outage, impacting its six million users across 140 countries. The disruption, caused by an internal software failure, began around 3:00 p.m. EDT (7:00 p.m. GMT) and lasted approximately 2.5 hours, marking one of the longest outages in Starlink’s history as a major service provider, according to Doug Madory of Kentik, an internet analysis firm.

Downdetector reported up to 61,000 user complaints during the outage, which affected users in the U.S., Europe, and beyond. Starlink acknowledged the issue on its X account, stating that a solution was being actively implemented. Michael Nicolls, Starlink’s Vice President of Engineering, later confirmed that the outage stemmed from a failure in critical internal software services managing the core network. Both Nicolls and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk issued apologies on X, with Musk vowing to address the root cause to prevent future disruptions.

The outage raised speculation about its origins, with experts like Gregory Falco of Cornell University suggesting a possible software update glitch, akin to the 2024 CrowdStrike outage that affected 8.5 million Windows devices, or even a potential cyberattack. Starlink’s rapid growth, fueled by over 8,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, has made it a vital service for consumers, militaries, and industries, particularly in remote areas with limited traditional internet access.

The outage significantly impacted Ukraine, where thousands of Starlink terminals support military communications and drone operations in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, reported that the 2.5-hour disruption affected the entire front line, forcing units to conduct missions without video feeds. A Ukrainian drone commander, speaking anonymously, noted that several operations were postponed. Oleksandr Dmitriev of OCHI, a system managing drone feeds, called the reliance on cloud-based internet a “huge risk,” advocating for localized communication alternatives.

Starlink’s resilience, typically robust against jamming and espionage, makes such outages rare but critical. The incident also raised concerns about its military applications, including SpaceX’s Starshield unit, which serves U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. While it’s unclear if Starshield was affected, the outage underscored vulnerabilities in Starlink’s expanding role, including its direct-to-cell text messaging service in partnership with T-Mobile.

As SpaceX investigates, the focus remains on ensuring the network’s reliability for its diverse user base, from rural consumers to frontline military operations.