SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network resumed operations on Friday after suffering one of its most extensive international outages, caused by a failure in internal software systems.

The disruption began on Thursday around 3:00 pm EDT (1900 GMT), with users across the United States and Europe reporting connectivity issues. Downdetector, a platform that tracks online outages, registered more than 61,000 user reports at the height of the incident.

Ukraine, where Starlink plays a critical role in military communications, has reported serious disruptions. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, said the service was “down across the entire front,” affecting combat operations.

The outage lasted approximately 2.5 hours. Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink Engineering, confirmed service restoration later that evening and cited the failure of “key internal software services” as the cause. “We are actively investigating to prevent recurrence,” he posted on X.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk also acknowledged the disruption, writing, “Sorry for the outage. SpaceX will remedy the root cause to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Experts described the incident as highly unusual for Starlink, which has built a reputation for reliable service since its global rollout. “This is likely the longest outage ever for Starlink,” said Doug Madory of internet analysis firm Kentik.

Analysts have speculated whether a botched software update or a cyberattack may have triggered the failure. The company has not indicated whether its other satellite services, including the Pentagon-linked Starshield network, were affected.

Starlink currently serves over six million users in approximately 140 countries.