A network of classified [1]Starshield satellites built by SpaceX for the U.S. government is [2]transmitting signals on radio frequencies reserved for Earth-to-space commands . According to NPR, it may violate international standards. From the report:

> Satellites associated with the Starshield satellite network appear to be transmitting to the Earth's surface on frequencies normally used for doing the exact opposite: sending commands from Earth to satellites in space. The use of those frequencies to "downlink" data runs counter to standards set by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency that seeks to coordinate the use of radio spectrum globally.

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> Starshield's unusual transmissions have the potential to interfere with other scientific and commercial satellites, warns Scott Tilley, an amateur satellite tracker in Canada who [3]first spotted the signals . "Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands -- or ignore commands -- from Earth," he told NPR.

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> Outside experts agree there's the potential for radio interference. "I think it is definitely happening," said Kevin Gifford, a computer science professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder who specializes in radio interference from spacecraft. But he said the issue of whether the interference is truly disruptive remains unresolved. [...] Tilley says he's detected signals from 170 of the Starshield satellites so far. All appear in the 2025-2110 MHz range, though the precise frequencies of the signals move around.



[1] https://www.spacex.com/starshield

[2] https://www.npr.org/2025/10/17/nx-s1-5575254/spacex-starshield-starlink-signal

[3] https://zenodo.org/records/17373141