There are thousands of satellites in the Starlink system, and they orbit Earth at around 550 km. Though they cover the entire globe, per SpaceX, the company is not authorised to provide its services to users in some regions. “Additionally, if a vessel strays into the waters of a country which prohibits Starlink from operating within it, our satellites will be unable to communicate with it effectively,” said Starlink on its website. What is the controversy surrounding Starlink? The Spear Corps of the Indian army on December 16 shared photos on Elon Musk-owned X of guns, ammunition, and country-made mortars that Indian army and police units had seized in Manipur. X users spotted a small satellite device and router, with the latter bearing the SpaceX logo. In response to an X user who claimed that Musk’s technology was being used by terrorists, the billionaire replied, “This is false. Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India.” The Starlink device also had “RPF/PLA” written on it, which refers to a Myanmar-based Meitei extremist group that is banned in India. Per Starlink’s website and coverage map, the service date for Myanmar is unknown. However, this is not the first time SpaceX has become embroiled in controversy in India. Last month, smugglers originating from Myanmar were caught by the Andaman and Nicobar islands police with over 6,000 kg of meth and a Starlink device that was allegedly used for navigation and communication, despite service being prohibited in Indian waters.