Nine senators demand Pentagon probe of Ukraine satellite service disruptions

Nine U.S. senators have written to the Pentagon Inspector General, asking for an investigation into satellite communication failures in Ukraine. The disruptions happened between October 12 and 14 and affected the Starshield system, a military satellite service built by SpaceX.

Ukrainian forces use Starshield to share intelligence and receive early warnings of attacks. The senators say the failures also affected drone and aircraft operations. They are worried that American personnel in Ukraine could not reach safety during Russian air strikes because communications were down.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen led the letter, which senators from both parties signed. They want to know whether U.S. officials knew about the disruptions in advance, approved them, or whether a Pentagon decision or contractor action caused them.