Fire Point asks to extend Starshield coverage beyond Ukraine’s borders

Fire Point chief executive Iryna Terekh asked SpaceX on Friday to extend Starshield satellite coverage beyond Ukraine by 200 to 300 kilometers during a visit to Stockholm.

Starshield currently works only inside Ukraine’s territory, Terekh said, and the existing limit permits missions on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories but does not reach Russian territory near the border, where most ballistic missile launchers operate from short range. Extending licenses by 200 to 300 kilometers beyond those territories could dramatically affect how Ukraine counters Russian ballistic attacks on civilians.

Kyiv uses Starshield only for military purposes and not the civilian Starlink service, according to Terekh. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence issues and controls the Starshield license for terminals, functioning much like an end-user certificate that provides government oversight, and Fire Point may only install the terminals while the government keeps final control and the firm cannot share the system with anyone.

The Starshield contract with Ukraine expires in mid-2027, and negotiations on a new deal between Ukraine and the United States started in 2026, according to Breaking Defense. Terekh said hundreds and thousands of Ukrainian lives hinge on one political decision about Starshield that would ask little of the US administration.

SpaceX built Starshield on Starlink technology for national security missions serving governments and the military, while Starlink provides commercial services and the two differ in customer, security needs, and end purpose. Starshield includes secure communications, Earth observation, and satellites equipped with specialized sensors and encryption for sensitive government operations. It can draw on the wider Starlink satellite network while also using separate dedicated satellites and systems.

Because its terminals are mobile, Starshield can engage moving targets, unlike Starlink terminals designed only for static use. Starshield terminals are the same hardware licensed to operate on drones, vehicles, or any moving platform up to a certain speed. Ukrainian military units use Starshield to pilot drones at high speeds, and Olena Tregub of Ukraine’s Independent Anti-Corruption Commission said Starshield offers much higher speeds and better connectivity than civilian Starlink and is available only for the military. Ukraine’s digital battlefield relies on the Delta system to manage and share battlefield data.

On October 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starshield was back at its prior operating speed after limits disrupted military operations. Zelenskyy said “The speed is now where we need it to be.” During recent Starshield disruptions, Russian air strikes hit logistics sites, energy facilities and civilian infrastructure more often, leaving Ukrainian forces more exposed.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara said Kyiv’s monitoring systems recorded restored Starshield connectivity on equipment traveling at speeds exceeding 400 kilometers per hour. A Ukrainian official said connections were still lost at speeds of around 161 kilometers per hour as recently as the previous day. For nearly two weeks in October 2026, reported restrictions kept Ukrainian drone interceptors and other equipment from maintaining satellite links at higher speeds before service returned.

By Thursday, some Ukrainian units said Starshield connectivity had returned to normal, though uncertainty remained over what caused the restrictions. “The Starshield shutdown was short, lasted only one day, but several drones and other systems were affected,” said Yevhen Karas, commander of Ukraine’s 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment (Raid). Karas said some missions failed and drones were lost because communications were cut off. The Starshield incident reinforced the need for backup communications, and Ukraine’s army was preparing alternative solutions that would be more expensive and less effective.

Elon Musk said the US government owns and controls Starshield, with decisions about limits on its speed or use made by the US military and ultimately the president. He also claimed on X that Ukraine’s military violated Starlink terms by using it for offensive drone strikes and said the loophole had been closed the previous week. SpaceX refused Kyiv’s request for Starshield access over the Black Sea near Russian-occupied Crimea and over front-line areas including Kherson and Donetsk.

The Trump administration denied that President Trump or any US official requested changes to Ukraine’s access to Starshield. The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that Trump called Musk and urged him to lift restrictions, after which satellite communications began functioning more reliably.

Ukrainian officials offered no immediate comment after Musk’s claim on X. The Pentagon has not answered questions from The Associated Press about the Starshield slowdown, and responsibility for the restrictions remained unclear.

Fire Point has a workaround for the American limitation on Ukraine’s Starshield use, but it delivers only 15 to 20 percent of Starshield’s capability, and Terekh declined to provide details while saying the company is trying to get the most out of it now. It cannot replace Starshield in price or scalability as a full alternative. The firm is fielding the Freya anti-ballistic system, a joint project with Swedish Saab and others, with a test planned for this year and an actual ballistic-target interception expected next year. Terekh compared Freya to the Patriot system, saying it will not involve vendor lock-in, is interoperable, and will be cheaper and more affordable for mass production.

Ukraine faces repeated heavy Russian ballistic attacks and air-defense gaps from delayed US-made Patriot deliveries, driving efforts to field Freya alongside existing gaps. Fire Point’s FP-7 tactical ballistic missile can reach up to 250 kilometers; the company recently tested it in combat and expects its first combat test of the FP-9 ballistic missile, which reaches up to 850 kilometers, by the end of this year.

Fire Point claims responsibility for a series of deep strikes inside the Russian Federation over the past months based on video material it gave to Breaking Defense. The company cited these operations to show its long-range strike capability and its need for expanded satellite coverage.