Key Takeaways
1. Starlink experienced a global satellite Internet outage on September 15, affecting over 50,000 users in various locations, including Ukraine and Michigan.
2. The outage was likely caused by a significant geomagnetic storm, which was predicted by NOAA, rather than an issue controlled by SpaceX.
3. The previous outage was due to human error during a capacity upgrade of Starlink’s terrestrial network, which aims to improve service quality.
4. The first outage lasted almost three hours, while the September 15 downtime was shorter, with users affected for up to an hour and a half.
5. SpaceX plans to launch V3 satellites in 2026, which will increase throughput capacity and allow for faster download speeds.
Starlink experienced a global satellite Internet outage on September 15, marking its second major disruption since a previous incident a few weeks ago.
Over 50,000 users reported connectivity issues, stretching from Ukraine, where Madyar, chief of the drone army, noted that “Starlink is once more down along the frontline,” to users in Michigan and others utilizing a Starlink Mini dish.
Possible Causes of Outage
The cause of this latest Starlink outage appears to be beyond the control of SpaceX. Although Starlink did not provide specific details in its announcement, the outage coincided with a warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding a significant geomagnetic storm during the same timeframe.
A geomagnetic storm with a K-index of 7 or higher (NOAA G3 or above) was predicted to occur between 02:54 and 09:00 UTC on September 15, 2025. This could result in power system voltage fluctuations, spacecraft surface charging issues, increased satellite drag, temporary GPS navigation and HF radio disturbances, and auroras visible as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oregon.
Previous Outage Details
The initial significant disruption of Starlink’s service was due to human error. SpaceX was implementing a capacity upgrade for Starlink’s terrestrial network, which consists of over 100 gateways, each with 150 antennas in the United States. These hubs help to cover dead zones and reduce latency for distant users by spreading the satellite Internet signal through fiber optic cables, improving ping and providing a more stable connection.
This upgrade aimed to enhance the terrestrial signal distribution in anticipation of the forthcoming Starlink gigabit network. SpaceX is set to launch its V3 satellites in 2026, which will offer 10 times the throughput capacity, allowing peak download speeds to exceed 1 Gbps when using a Performance dish.
Duration of Outage
The first major outage caused by the terrestrial gateway firmware upgrade lasted almost three hours. However, on September 15, Starlink’s downtime during the geomagnetic storm was relatively short, with users reporting that they were without satellite Internet for a maximum of an hour and a half.
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