Starlink Outage Halts Navy Drone Tests, Revealing Pentagon’s Growing Dependence on SpaceX

The U.S. Navy encountered a significant disruption during a recent test of unmanned surface vessels when communication was lost due to a global Starlink outage. This incident occurred last August and left two dozen autonomous boats adrift off the California coast for nearly an hour, according to internal documents reviewed by Reuters.

Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite network, has become integral to various military operations, including drone technology and missile tracking. Its extensive low-earth orbit constellation provides resilience against potential attacks, making it a critical component of national security. However, this outage underscores the risks associated with the Pentagon's increasing reliance on SpaceX for such technologies.

Lawmakers have expressed concerns about depending on a single entity led by Musk, highlighting past issues like the unexpected shutdown of Starlink services for Ukrainian forces and GPS launch delays. These events emphasize the vulnerabilities of over-reliance on one company, especially when it comes to national security capabilities.