Starlink: How Elon Musk's Company Is Shaping Geopolitics

Elon Musk's Starlink, designed to provide internet access to remote areas, has become vital in crisis and war zones. But Ukraine also highlights the risks of dependence on the service.

10/15/2026 October 15, 2026 Designed to provide internet access in remote areas, Elon Musk's Starlink has become vital in crisis zones and war zones. But Ukraine also presents service-related risks.

Lack of access to the Internet is one of the major problems in many parts of the world today.

Starlink was originally developed by American billionaire Elon Musk to solve this problem. It was designed as a way to quickly bring the Internet to areas around the world where it was either impossible to do so by conventional means, or too expensive to be worth the effort.

Since then, the field of application of Starlink has expanded significantly. As a means of communication in disaster areas, it is also used by armies or protest movements, for example in areas where the existing internet has been destroyed by enemy fire or shut down by authoritarian governments.

But there is also a downside: for example, the Ukrainian military is heavily dependent on the Musk satellite system. This is especially evident when the service faces external disruptions.

Starlink, operated by Musk's SpaceX, is a satellite-based system consisting of 10,000 small satellites around the world. They transmit data packets over laser links and do not require a fixed direct visual link to the ground station.

Unlike other Internet satellites that orbit around 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) above the Earth, Starlink satellites are only about 550 kilometers above Earth. This means they can transmit internet signals much faster than others.

All users need is a small receiver terminal with an electronically controlled antenna that automatically steers toward them as satellites pass overhead. Terminals receive signals from these satellites and transmit them to a nearby router, which provides a broadband Internet connection.

Where has Starlink already been deployed?

Ukraine: Since the start of full-scale Russian war in February 2022, Starlink has become a vital means of communication in the war zone. Ukraine's armed forces use Starlink to coordinate units, operate drones, and control unmanned ground systems. In the civilian sector, the system is used by hospitals, emergency services, energy suppliers and the railway network.

Ukraine provides a clear example of how dependent its military capabilities are now on Starlink.

In mid-October, Ukrainian military units reported disruptions in data transmission that were said to have severely affected the control of combat, interceptor and reconnaissance drones. Elon Musk said that limits on the speed and use of Starlink will be set by the US military and ultimately the US president. At this point, it is unclear who ordered the restrictions.

Iran: In early January 2026, protests against the Tehran regime rose across the country. The government's drastic response included cutting off the internet across the country. According to reports, thousands of Starlink terminals have been smuggled into Iran and sold on the black market. This allowed the protest movement to coordinate demonstrations against the regime and use Starlink to bypass government internet censorship.

How reliable is Starlink as a wartime communication line?

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The country's authorities are suppressing this satellite service and its users. Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, described Starlink as a hostile "tool of war" and said the regime has tools to disrupt satellite communications.

Starlink was officially banned in Iran. Anyone who uses this service faces imprisonment from six months to two years. If users are also accused of endangering national security or espionage, this crime can even lead to the death penalty.

Sudan: In the Sudanese civil war, Starlink is mainly used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia group fighting against the internationally recognized government. Hundreds of devices were smuggled into the country via the UAE, and there is now a thriving black market for Starlink terminals in Sudan. The RSF uses them to communicate and coordinate with their militia, while the Sudanese armed forces try to block imports and use of the terminals.

Venezuela: Here too, Starlink has been used in the past to prevent data blackouts and secure internet access. For a long time, this service was only available unofficially by purchasing kits from local dealers. After the US intervention in early January 2026, during which then-President Nicolás Maduro was imprisoned, Musk offered Venezuelans a month of free broadband Internet service through Starlink.

Gaza: Starlink has been used for humanitarian purposes in the devastated Gaza Strip since July 2024. Aid organizations and a field hospital use it to facilitate remote medical assistance and logistical coordination. Civilian access is limited due to Israeli security concerns.

Starlink is often the only way to access the Internet in conflict zones. This gives Musk and his operating company SpaceX tremendous leverage. For example, earlier, Musk refused to activate Starlink in Ukraine to enable the attack in Crimea. US President Donald Trump has also threatened to shut down Ukraine's satellites to force Kiev to make concessions in peace talks.

There have also been criticisms from an environmental point of view. The lifespan of Starlink satellites is less than five years. On average, one or two of them burn up in the Earth's atmosphere every day. This releases aluminum oxide, which can affect the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. In addition, all those thousands of satellites reflect sunlight, brightening the night sky, and this may have implications for the world's animals as well.

In an effort to break Starlink's monopoly, other carriers, particularly in Europe, are working on alternatives. Currently, SpaceX's biggest private competitor is a company called Eutelest. With a fleet of more than 600 satellites, its OneWeb service is much smaller and focuses on commercial customers and maritime use.

But Eutelsat is also involved in the development of IRIS2 - Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite - an ambitious EU project to create a highly secure satellite network. The aim is to make Europe less dependent on Starlink, but IRIS2 will not be fully operational until 2032.

Elon Musk is also competing within the United States with another billionaire, Jeff Bezos, whose Amazon company is currently working on Amazon Leo, which until recently was known as Project Kuiper. It is building a network of more than 3,200 new satellites in low Earth orbit. Amazon plans to launch the service later this year in the US, Canada, France, UK and Germany.

The sky is clearly getting crowded. China is also refining its two satellite communication systems. Guoang, a government project intended primarily for national and military purposes, will include up to 13,000 satellites, while another project, Qianfan, with an estimated 12,000 satellites, is more commercial and aims to provide services to new satellites. Industrialized and developing countries, the first mass launches for both projects are planned for this year.

This article is translated from German.

Editor's note: This piece was originally published on February 14, 2026. Updated on October 15, 2026 to reflect recent developments.