SpaceX's Starlink service experiences outage lasting over two hours.
Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, operated by SpaceX, experienced a two-and-a-half-hour outage on July 24, 2025, causing disruptions for millions of users worldwide[1]. According to Starlink's VP of engineering, Michael Nicolls, the outage was due to issues within the Starlink network[1].
Starlink, which consists of thousands of satellites orbiting Earth at low altitudes, is a crucial service for many users, particularly in areas lacking mobile phone reception[2]. Customers on the ground use compact stations for receiving and transmitting with Starlink[3].
The outage affected various sectors, including private individuals, businesses, and critical customers such as airlines and the Ukrainian army, who rely heavily on the reliability of the Starlink communication system[4]. Although specific details regarding the direct impact on airlines and the Ukrainian army during this outage are not available, given the broad user base (over six million active customers globally), disruptions likely affected these sectors as well[1].
Despite the outage, Starlink managed to restore service by approximately 6:23 PM ET the same day, mitigating prolonged complications[1]. However, the incident serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of satellite-based communication systems to software failures and the potential risks for critical users who depend on uninterrupted connectivity.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos is starting the development of Project Kuiper, a competing satellite communication service[5]. The details of Project Kuiper are not yet known, but it is expected to provide an alternative solution for users seeking reliable satellite-based internet connectivity.
References:
[1] Space.com. (2025). Starlink outage: SpaceX's satellite internet service suffers global disruption. [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/starlink-outage-spacex-satellite-internet-service-suffers-global-disruption.html
[2] Space.com. (2021). Starlink: Everything you need to know about Elon Musk's satellite internet service. [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/starlink
[3] Space.com. (2021). How does Starlink work? [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/how-starlink-works
[4] Space.com. (2021). Starlink: Who uses it and how is it changing the world? [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/starlink-who-uses-it-and-how-its-changing-the-world
[5] Space.com. (2021). Project Kuiper: What is Amazon's satellite internet service and when will it launch? [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/project-kuiper-amazon-satellite-internet-service-launch-date
Science and technology have once again intertwined in space-and-astronomy as both Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper satellite communication services find themselves in the spotlight. Despite Starlink's network-internal issues causing a global outage on July 24, 2025, the urgency for reliable satellite-based internet connectivity, particularly for critical users like airlines and the Ukrainian army, has been underlined.
