Ukraine has claimed its military operations were disrupted after SpaceX restricted its military satellite service Starshield, bringing renewed attention to who controls the service and how it is operated.

On Oct. 15, CNBC reported that as Russia intensified its Kyiv offensive, Ukraine said SpaceX imposed restrictions on Starshield use without prior notice, hindering military operations and affecting efforts to protect civilians.

The key question is who decides how Starshield is run. Elon Musk on Oct. 15 issued a statement suggesting responsibility for changes in Starshield use lies with the U.S. government rather than SpaceX. He said Washington owns and controls the Starshield system, and that the U.S. military, and ultimately President Donald Trump, set limits on its use. The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions.

Starshield is a government and national security satellite network built on SpaceX’s general satellite internet service, Starlink. SpaceX currently lists Starshield’s core areas as Earth observation, secure global communications for government users and hosted payloads that carry customer equipment on satellites.

The biggest differences from Starlink are the level of security and intended use. While Starlink is a general-purpose service for consumers and companies, civilian use and some defence purposes, Starshield features enhanced encryption designed to handle classified information. SpaceX says Starshield satellites can handle various types of equipment and can link to other satellites using laser communications technology.

Musk also drew a line between the roles of Starshield and Starlink. He said the commercial Starlink service is limited to civilian and defence purposes and cannot be used for offensive military operations. The two services are not completely separate. Starshield uses stronger encryption and specialised terminals, but its actual operations depend on Starlink’s extensive satellite network.

That has drawn attention to the episode as more than a simple service restriction, highlighting how commercial technology and military infrastructure are intertwined. SpaceX said in its latest earnings report that the value of multi-year U.S. government contracts related to Starshield exceeds $6 billion. Most of the contracts came from two Space Force contracts related to low-Earth orbit communications and surveillance satellite constellations.

Starlink also has a large business base. SpaceX says Starlink operates in more than 160 countries and regions and other markets, and residential plans start at $55 a month. The company says download speeds can exceed 400 Mbps in most regions.

The structure shows that while Starshield is a standalone military-only brand, it is closely linked to Starlink in terms of the underlying network. The restriction controversy raised in Ukraine is moving beyond a specific terminal or service-setting issue to a question of where private-sector technology and the U.S. government’s control system meet in wartime. Future focus is expected to centre on who decided on the actual usage restrictions and how the criteria are applied to operations on the ground.