SpaceX’s Satellite Internet Faces Global Issues on Thursday
By Ethan Brooks, Connectivity Expert
Updated
2 min read
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service encountered a widespread outage on Thursday, lasting more than two hours and affecting users globally. Connectivity problems began surfacing around 3:20 PM ET, as tracked by DownDetector, with SpaceX confirming the issue via a post on the Starlink X account at 4:05 PM ET. Partial recovery started around 5:30 PM ET, and by 6:23 PM ET, Michael Nicolls, Starlink’s VP of engineering, announced that service had “mostly recovered.”
Reports flooded in from users across the U.S., Europe, the UK, and Asia on the r/starlink subreddit and the company’s website, where SpaceX also acknowledged the disruption. While exact figures remain undisclosed, the outage could have impacted millions, given Starlink’s reported six million active users worldwide from its last update.
SpaceX’s initial statement offered little insight, simply noting, “Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution. We appreciate your patience, we’ll share an update once this issue is resolved.” Later, Nicolls clarified that the cause was a “failure of key internal software services that operate the core network,” ruling out satellite or hardware issues. He assured that a thorough investigation would prevent future incidents.
Starlink, known for serving remote areas and supporting van lifers, also powers partnerships like T-Mobile’s initiative to extend smartphone coverage beyond traditional networks. The outage’s effect on this service remains unclear.
Update, July 24, 6:30 PM ET: Confirmed Starlink service restoration.
Stay connected with the latest tech upgrades—check out our exclusive deals here via our CJ Affiliate partnership!