The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials, that President Donald Trump asked Elon Musk to ease restrictions on the military-grade Starshield system that Ukraine relies on. U.S. and Ukrainian officials said the system was working more normally shortly after Trump spoke to Musk by phone. The WSJ had earlier reported that Musk ordered the Starlink slowdown, and two sources said Trump and Musk discussed the decision, though Trump has repeatedly denied involvement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal launched an inquiry into how SpaceX's satellite technology was degraded for Ukraine without notice.
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Elon MuskDonald TrumpStarlinkgeopolitics
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• NeutralTesla, Inc.
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Consumer Discretionary |
| Industry | Automobile Manufacturers |
| Market cap | $1.4T |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 386.55 |
| Change that session | +3.44% |
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- Musk's clash with Ukraine accelerates demand for Starlink alternatives. Few exist
Tensions between Elon Musk and Ukraine highlight Starlink's key role in Kyiv's defense and the risks of relying on a single satellite provider. On Oct. 14, Ukrainian officials accused SpaceX and the U.S. of abruptly imposing speed limits on Starshield, cutting connectivity for drones and aircraft flying above 100 miles per hour; one commander said the restrictions cost his unit more than $1 million and delayed missions by 3 days. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered the changes after discussing them with Trump, though Trump said he was not involved, and a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has called for an investigation. Starlink has more than 11,000 satellites and operates in 174 countries, while Amazon Leo has only 390 satellites in orbit, and rival projects remain distant, with TeraWave targeting its first deployment in the fourth quarter of 2027 and the EU's IRIS² not expected to launch until 2029.
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Shares of Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX) were down about 3.5% as of 10:50 a.m. ET, after recovering from early lows. The drop followed Elon Musk's social media posts after Ukrainian officials said restrictions on Starlink use were hurting its defenses against Russia. Musk said the Pentagon and ultimately President Trump controlled the military service, and he criticized President Zelensky in a post, which could alienate Starlink's customers. Starlink has over 10,000 satellites in orbit and 12 million customers in 167 countries as of the end of Q2, and it is SpaceX's only profitable segment, accounting for 60% of revenue in the first half of 2026. The author argues the online comments are mostly noise and that a meaningful drop could be a good opportunity for long-term investors.
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