A Speed Cap Nobody Will Own Just Shook Up the Satellite Trade

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- USA News Group News Commentary - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that tests showed Starlink-equipped drones lost their connection when flying faster than about 100 mph inside Ukraine, while Starlink terminals moving at more than 112 mph inside the European Union worked normally. "In other words, this is a planned operation," he said. No one in Washington or at SpaceX has claimed the decision. Most U.S.-listed space stocks fell sharply last week, while Europe's only low Earth orbit broadband rival to SpaceX had its best day in 16 months. Active Companies from around the markets with current developments this week include: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX), AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS), Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM), Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ: RKLB), Eutelsat Communications SA (Euronext Paris: ETL).

The restrictions reportedly cover both Starlink and Starshield, SpaceX's military-use service, which Ukraine relies on for communications, logistics, live drone video and targeting. The Telegraph reported on Oct. 16, citing four unnamed sources, that Elon Musk approached President Trump with the idea of slowing Starlink in Ukraine and that Trump "agreed." Musk said on X that speed or usage limits on Starshield "are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." Trump told reporters, "it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, "We had nothing to do with it. Nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down. It sorta happened." He also said Starshield was not available to Ukraine, which Yahoo Finance noted conflicts with a late 2024 Pentagon contract that expanded Ukraine's Starshield access from about 500 to roughly 3,000 terminals. Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Zelenskyy said, "Just give us back Starlink."

Europe is paying close attention. The European Union is working to develop its own alternative to Starlink, and on Sunday the U.S. ambassador to the EU threatened "devastating" retaliation if the bloc advanced a proposal favoring EU-made satellites over companies like SpaceX, Yahoo Finance reported.

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In other industry developments and happenings in the market this week include:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX)

Shares of SpaceX fell 10.17% last week, from $162.57 at the Oct. 9 close to $146.03 on Oct. 16, according to Stock Analysis data, though they remain above the $135 price of the company's June initial public offering. Starlink, a core part of SpaceX's business, has more than 13 million subscribers worldwide, and Yahoo Finance noted this is the first throttling episode since the company went public.

SpaceX has limited service in Ukraine before. In 2023, President and COO Gwynne Shotwell acknowledged the company could restrict how Ukraine used Starlink, saying, "There are things that we can do, and have done." Musk said on X last week that Starlink "is limited to civilian or defensive activities."

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS)

AST SpaceMobile, which is building a space-based cellular broadband network that connects directly to standard smartphones, fell 20.23% last week, from $50.97 to $40.66. On Oct. 13, Piper Sandler downgraded the stock to Neutral from Overweight and cut its price target to $54 from $98, citing SpaceX's direct-to-cell ambitions after its agreement to acquire Grain Management's 800 MHz spectrum for about $8 billion, subject to regulatory approval.

Piper warned that SpaceX could, in theory, limit launch opportunities for competitors such as AST and pressure pricing by competing with telecom operators. Not every analyst agreed. Deutsche Bank upgraded the shares to Buy on Oct. 12 with a $93 target, and Clear Street reiterated a Buy rating with a $115 target, arguing AST is about six months ahead of SpaceX in direct-to-cell.

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM)

Iridium announced on Oct. 14 that Altair Semiconductor is adding Iridium NTN Direct to its ALT1350 and ALT1550 cellular IoT chipsets, letting device makers, module makers and mobile network operators add satellite coverage without a separate satellite modem. "Iridium is offering device manufacturers a powerful new way to develop connected products," said Tim Last, executive vice president at Iridium.

Iridium stockholders approved the company's acquisition by Rocket Lab on Sept. 24, with about 99.6% of votes cast in favor. Each Iridium share is to be exchanged for $27.00 in cash plus Rocket Lab stock based on an exchange ratio subject to a collar, for a notional value of $54.00 per share, and the deal is expected to close by mid-2027, subject to remaining regulatory approvals. Iridium shares fell 7.82% last week, from $47.47 to $43.76.

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ: RKLB)

Rocket Lab shares fell 25.47% last week, from $68.21 to $50.84, after founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said in a video posted to YouTube that the first launch of the company's Neutron rocket would move from late 2026 into 2027. Inspectors found voids in the carbon-fiber layers of a recently made forward propellant dome after curing, according to Space.com.

Beck said the voids "don't necessarily mean that the dome would fail in flight," but added, "Possible success isn't our standard." Rocket Lab expects to finish a new forward dome by the end of the year and complete first-stage testing in the first quarter of 2027, after which Beck said the company expects to be "in good shape to share a new target launch date."

Eutelsat Communications SA (Euronext Paris: ETL)

Eutelsat shares jumped 23% on Oct. 14, the stock's biggest one-day gain in 16 months, Reuters reported, after Ukraine said Starlink had introduced restrictions on its military-grade service. Eutelsat's OneWeb network has more than 600 satellites in low Earth orbit, compared with about 10,000 for Starlink, and it is the only company besides SpaceX providing space-based internet through a low Earth orbit network. Bernstein analyst Aleksander Peterc said the news put European providers "back in the spotlight as potential alternatives."

Not everyone sees an easy swap. Existing Starlink users cannot simply switch to OneWeb, since a transition would require new terminals and supporting infrastructure, and independent consultant Christian Freiherr von der Ropp said "considering it as a straightforward substitute overlooks significant operational and infrastructure constraints."

Space stocks swung hard on headlines last week. Learn to read the charts behind moves like these with the free Stock Preachers guide, plus The Roadmap market reports, at stockpreachers.com.

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