Satellite service Starlink, belonging to entrepreneur Elon Musk, has experienced a disruption lasting more than two hours.
The satellite communication service Starlink, operated by SpaceX and known for providing internet connectivity in areas without mobile network coverage, experienced a widespread outage on July 24 and July 25, 2025. The outage, which lasted approximately 2.5 hours, was caused by a software or configuration failure according to monitoring by ThousandEyes [1][3].
The global outage affected users across North America, Europe, and other regions, disrupting personal, business, and critical communications for several hours [2][3]. While specific airline disruptions are not detailed in the available data, global outages of Starlink’s broadband service can potentially affect inflight internet services that rely on Starlink satellites, possibly causing temporary loss of internet connectivity for passengers and crew.
The Ukrainian army, which depends on Starlink due to the destruction of traditional communication infrastructure during the Russian invasion, experienced a temporary loss of critical internet support during the outage [3]. This could have impacted communication, coordination, and operational capabilities during the downtime.
Starlink's network consists of thousands of satellites orbiting Earth at a low altitude, and users on the ground employ compact receiving and transmitting stations to access the service [1]. The nature of the Starlink system makes it a popular solution for areas without mobile network coverage.
Amazon is developing a competing service to Starlink named Project Kuiper, which, like Starlink, is still in its early stages [1]. Customers expect Starlink to function reliably due to its nature as a communication system. Outages, though rare, can impact critical services, highlighting the vulnerabilities inherent in a rapidly deployed satellite internet system dependent on stable software configurations [1][3].
[1] ThousandEyes. (2025). Starlink Outage Monitoring Report. [2] Reuters. (2025). Worldwide Internet Disruptions Reported During Starlink Outage. [3] BBC News. (2025). Starlink Outage Affects Ukrainian Military Operations.
- The unusual outage of Starlink, a service that heavily relies on science and technology for space-and-astronomy, raised concerns about its service reliability, especially for critical operations like those of the Ukrainian army that partially rely on it.
- As space-and-astronomy advancements lead to the creation of technologies like Starlink for internet connectivity in remote areas, it's crucial for science and service providers to ensure robust software and configuration to prevent potentially disruptive service failures.
