Starlink's Great Disruption: A Global Outage Story

SpaceX's Starlink experienced a major international service disruption due to internal software failure, affecting tens of thousands of users, primarily in the U.S. and Europe. The outage, speculated to be a software glitch or cyberattack, was resolved after 2.5 hours, with assurances to prevent future occurrences.

SpaceX's Starlink has faced one of its most significant international outages, with internal software failure causing disruption to tens of thousands of users. This rare blackout for Elon Musk's satellite internet service drew widespread attention as users in the U.S. and Europe were temporarily disconnected.

The outage struck around 3 p.m. EDT, as reported by Downdetector, which noted 61,000 user reports. Starlink, serving over 6 million users in approximately 140 countries, acknowledged the issue on its X account and stated efforts were underway to rectify the situation. Service was largely restored within 2.5 hours, according to Michael Nicolls, Starlink's vice president of engineering.

The incident spurred industry speculation over whether the disruption was caused by a glitch, an unintentional software update issue, or a potential cyberattack. Despite this challenge, SpaceX continues to prioritize upgrading its network to meet growing demands for speed and bandwidth, alongside its expansion into direct-to-cell text messaging services.

(With inputs from agencies.)