Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet network experienced a major worldwide outage late Thursday, affecting thousands of users across multiple continents.
The disruption began around 9pm CET, according to Down Detector, with over 60,000 reports of service loss. Users described a “total blackout” and saw error messages saying there was “no healthy upstream”.
Starlink confirmed the problem on social media platform X, stating: “Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution. We appreciate your patience.”
Reports of the outage came in from Europe, the US, Africa, Asia and Australia. Specific locations included Colombia, Sardinia, Stockholm, and New Hampshire, showing how far-reaching the issue may be.
While the exact cause remains unclear, Starlink owner Elon Musk assured users that service would return soon. “Service will be restored shortly. Sorry for the outage. SpaceX will remedy root cause to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” he wrote on X.
The impact is especially concerning in conflict zones and remote areas where Starlink is a vital lifeline. Ukraine’s military, for instance, depends on Starlink to stay connected during the ongoing war.
Starlink is part of SpaceX and provides mobile broadband through thousands of satellites. It currently serves around 130 countries and plans to grow its satellite network significantly.
On Wednesday, Starlink launched its T-Mobile-powered direct-to-phone service. It’s still unclear if that new system was affected by the outage or played any part in it.
Investigations into the cause continue as users await full restoration.
Photo: Wikipedia
