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Starlink limit came from White House
The three officials did not say who made the decision. The White House did not respond to questions about whether other administration officials may have made the request.
Ukraine reported problems with its Starlink battlefield service during days of intense Russian attacks, including strikes on its energy infrastructure. The satellite system carries communications for Ukrainian forces at the front, so the trouble arrived while those attacks were under way.
Kyiv resident Inna Kozub described a country that desperately needs help from its allies. Reuters learned of the order's origin from the officials, who spoke about a limit that had been placed on the service only recently.
Why do Starlink satellites orbit so low?
Starlink satellites circle a few hundred kilometers above Earth, far below the geostationary orbit about 36,000 kilometers up where older communications satellites sit. A shorter trip means a signal reaches the ground in a fraction of the time, which is what makes live video and drone feeds workable. Each low satellite sees only a small patch of ground and crosses the sky within minutes. That is why the network needs thousands of satellites, so that one is always overhead.
How do Starlink dishes track moving satellites?
The flat dish is a phased-array antenna made of many tiny antenna elements. By shifting the timing of the signal across those elements, it steers its beam electronically with no motors or moving parts. As one satellite sinks toward the horizon, the dish hands the connection to the next one rising. Many modern military radars steer their beams with the same principle.
Why does satellite service matter when power grids fail?
Cell towers and fiber lines depend on ground infrastructure, which strikes on power plants and substations can leave dark. A satellite terminal links directly to orbit, so it needs only a power source and a clear view of the sky. A vehicle battery or a portable power pack is enough to keep one running.
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