Starlink's Rare Global Outage Raises Concerns Over Software Stability

SpaceX's Starlink network faced a major disruption on Thursday, caused by internal software failure, which disconnected tens of thousands of users globally. The outage drew attention due to the usually dependable nature of Elon Musk's satellite internet system.

From around 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), users in the U.S. and Europe began experiencing connectivity issues. Downdetector reported up to 61,000 disruptions, prompting Starlink to acknowledge the issue on its X account and announce efforts to resolve it. The service mostly resumed after 2.5 hours.

Experts highlighted the unusual scale of the outage. In response, Elon Musk and Starlink's top engineer apologized, committing to investigate the root cause. As demand grows, SpaceX continues to enhance and expand its satellite constellations, also exploring partnerships like the one with T-Mobile to improve mobile connectivity in underserved areas.

(With inputs from agencies.)