Washington, Oct 14 Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican leader Thom Tillis questioned Elon Musk on Wednesday about reports of disruptions to Starlink terminals in Ukraine that affected its military capabilities.
“Don’t abandon Ukrainians as they fight for their lives and freedom against an aggressor,” Clinton, who unsuccessfully contested the 2016 presidential election against Donald Trump, said in a post on X.
Her remarks came amid claims that Ukraine said SpaceX had introduced speed limits on its Starlink satellite internet terminals, which led to the failure of several missions.
“@elonmusk please tell me these overnight disruptions to Starlink terminals in Ukraine were unintended – that @SpaceX is doing everything it can to fix a temporary glitch,” Tillis, the Republican Senator from North Carolina, said in a post on X.
“I’m confident this does not reflect a change in SpaceX policy because if so, intentionally degrading Ukraine’s ability to defend itself might be construed as aiding and abetting a mass murderer,” Tillis said.
“Can you confirm that’s not SpaceX’s intent?” the Senator asked.
A Ukrainian official said the Starlink terminals, managed by the US government, are a key component of Ukraine’s military operations, and the sudden restrictions on the terminals travelling at high speeds led to the failure of several combat missions.
Musk was involved in a standoff with India over launching Starlink services in the country and accused top businessmen of blocking SpaceX’s entry into the growing market.
(PTI News)
