Elon Musk said that the Starlink satellite system should not be used for offensive military strikes, as this could turn satellites into legitimate targets for retaliatory actions.
“Destroying the Starlink satellites would cause a devastating domino effect, creating a huge field of debris that would make space unusable“, Musk wrote on the social network X.
He specified that Starlink could support military infrastructure and communications, but should not be used directly for offensive operations. According to him, such use would create a risk of retaliatory attacks against the satellite network.
The dispute over use in Ukraine
The statement was made against the backdrop of a dispute over the use of Starlink by Ukrainian forces. Musk had previously said that the Ukrainian army had violated the terms of use of the system and used it in offensive drone strikes.
Sergey Beskrestnov, an adviser on defense technologies to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected this claim. He said that civilian Starlink has a speed limit in Ukraine of between 70 and 90 kilometers per hour and does not operate on Russian territory, which is why it cannot be used for long-range or medium-range strikes.
The Associated Press reported that Starlink and the military Starshield service are key to Ukrainian communications and the operation of unmanned systems. The agency said the service restrictions have been lifted, but there remains controversy over who ordered the disruptions and under what conditions the systems can be used.
The risk of space debris
Musk's warning refers to the possible consequences of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit. Such an impact can create thousands of fragments that can damage other satellites and spacecraft. A cascade of such collisions is known as Kessler syndrome.
Russia demonstrated the ability to hit a satellite in a test of an anti-satellite weapon in November 2021, when it destroyed a malfunctioning Russian satellite. However, there is no evidence that an attack has been launched against Starlink satellites in connection with Musk's recent statements.
Sources: apnews.com, united24media.com, washingtoexaminer.com