Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, suffered a rare global outage on July 24, 2025, leaving tens of thousands of users without access for several hours.
The disruption began in the afternoon, around 3 p.m. EDT, and lasted for about 2.5 hours.
The issue affected users across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean.
According to online tracking platforms, internet connectivity through Starlink dropped to just 16% of its normal activity during the peak of the problem.
Over 60,000 outage reports were logged on platforms like Downdetector, as people lost service on home connections, mobile links, and even in remote areas that depend entirely on satellite coverage.
The company traced the cause to a problem within its core network system. A failure in key internal software services disrupted Starlink’s ability to route internet traffic correctly.
While no external attack was confirmed, technical experts have suggested it may have been caused by a faulty update or misconfiguration.
Government and military users were also affected. In Ukraine, the military—known to rely heavily on Starlink for secure communication and drone operation—reported temporary interruptions during the blackout.
Starlink currently provides satellite internet to over six million users in more than 140 countries.
While service was gradually restored, some customers reported slow speeds and unstable connections even after the main issue was resolved.
Following the outage, company executives stated they are investigating the root cause and making changes to prevent it from happening again.
They acknowledged the incident and reassured users that steps are being taken to improve stability moving forward.