Elon Musk's Mars dream hit with another Starlink crisis

Elon Musk is once again facing turbulence in his mission to fund interplanetary travel, after his Starlink satellite internet service suffered a widespread outage that left tens of thousands of users without connectivity.

According to outage tracker Downdetector, problems began around 1:30 p.m. ET on Monday, with reports of sluggish connections, intermittent service, and in many cases, complete blackouts.

The disruption, which affected more than 40,800 users in the United States at its peak, comes just weeks after a similar service failure.

Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has been positioned by Musk as the financial engine that could eventually bankroll his long-held vision of colonizing Mars.

He has previously said that the company's profits are "being used to pay for humanity getting to Mars".

Analysts have valued Starlink at as much as $150 billion, though the company has never publicly confirmed official figures.

Outages spark frustration among users

The latest failure rippled across major US cities, including Dallas, San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. Reports of issues also emerged from South America, the UK, and Australia.

One frustrated customer wrote on X: "Starlink down, apparently, widespread. Website unresponsive. July 25, unexpected outage, never really explained. Again, today, Aug 18. What's up?"

Another user added: "Looks like @Starlink is down again. We've had more outages in the last month than in the last 5 years combined."

Independent monitoring group NetBlocks confirmed the scope of the outage, reporting that connectivity had dropped to just 32 percent of normal levels worldwide.

"Network data show a significant disruption to the Starlink satellite internet service with overall connectivity at 32% of ordinary levels, corroborating user reports of an outage," the group wrote.

By mid-afternoon, Downdetector reported that service had begun to recover, with incidents falling from more than 43,000 to around 2,800. However, the disruption was enough to reignite questions about the system's reliability, especially for customers paying premium rates for access.

Starlink has marketed itself as a lifeline for people in rural or underserved areas, offering high-speed satellite internet where traditional fiber or cable infrastructure is unavailable.

Plans are not cheap: the Residential package costs $120 per month, with a Lite version priced at $80. Roam packages for those who need connectivity while traveling range from $50 to $165 per month, while the standard Starlink hardware kit costs $349 plus shipping.

The company has generally enjoyed strong reviews from customers who lacked alternatives, but repeat outages in recent weeks have shaken confidence.

Unlike traditional providers, Starlink has not consistently issued public updates when problems occur, something that many users flagged as a growing source of frustration.

Mars ambitions remain central

Despite these setbacks, Musk continues to link Starlink's revenues directly to his larger space ambitions. In May, he laid out new details of SpaceX's Mars strategy, emphasizing the importance of establishing a self-sustaining colony.

"Ideally, we'll be able to take anyone who wants to go to Mars," Musk said. "And bring all the equipment needed to make it self-sustaining, to let it grow on its own."

He argued that humanity's survival depends on becoming a multiplanetary species. "Having two strong, self-sustaining planets will be critical for the long-term survival of civilization," Musk added. "It could extend humanity's lifespan tenfold."

The billionaire also suggested that future colonists would be supported by Starlink satellites providing internet connectivity on the Martian surface, alongside shipments of supplies and potentially Tesla Optimus robots.

While the latest outage was relatively brief, it has renewed scrutiny of Starlink's infrastructure and reliability.

For customers, especially those in remote areas who depend on the service for work and communication, repeated failures highlight the risks of relying on a single provider.

For Musk, the stakes are higher. Starlink's growth is not just about expanding internet coverage on Earth but funding the colossal costs of making Mars habitable.

Each outage dents the company's reputation, raising concerns over whether the $150 billion valuation, and by extension, the Mars dream, can withstand mounting pressure from customers, competitors, and investors alike.