Houthis confiscate Starlink terminals: technical analysis of space surveillance and its military and civilian impacts.
Starlink, a constellation of more than 7,600 LEO satellites, often provides the Yemeni population with fast and secure internet access. The Houthis suspect that it is being used to locate their positions in the face of Israeli-American strikes and are confiscating the terminals. Starlink satellites incorporate optical and inter-satellite laser sensors, used for military purposes by the United States, enhancing surveillance and targeting. The consequences: increased civil tension, digital isolation, and the rise of a space war between major powers.
Starlink in military surveillance: technical capabilities and range
Orbital network architecture
The Starlink constellation is based on a set of more than 7,600 satellites deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO), at an average altitude of between 550 and 1,200 kilometers. Each satellite is equipped with antennas in the Ku and Ka bands, ensuring communication with ground terminals. A major development in the system is the increasing integration of inter-satellite laser links, capable of transmitting data at speeds of up to 100 Gb/s. These laser links enable transmission without dependence on ground stations, thereby reducing geographical vulnerabilities and ensuring very low latency, in the order of 20 to 30 milliseconds. In a military environment, this low latency is crucial for drone control, tactical coordination, and real-time target updates.
Detection functions and ISR capability
Initially intended for civilian Internet access, Starlink satellites nevertheless carry high-resolution optical sensors. Thanks to their distributed mesh constellation, these sensors can be combined by software to form a kind of multi-point virtual camera, similar to a Very Large Array network. This configuration allows for the observation of specific areas with a resolution of less than one meter, sufficient to detect vehicle movements, concentrations of equipment, or strategic installations. This feature brings Starlink closer to a tactical ISR system, with applications for target detection, identification, and tracking. In addition, communications use advanced cryptography protocols and are resistant to radio frequency interference, making military use both discreet and resilient to jamming.
Military role in the United States and use by Starshield
Operational integration into the armed forces
Since 2019, the US Department of Defense has been testing the Starlink constellation in military scenarios. Trials have been conducted on aircraft such as the Beechcraft C-12, achieving data rates of 610 Mb/s, as well as on more complex tactical platforms such as the AC-130 and F-35A, where bandwidth performance exceeds more than 30 times that of legacy onboard communications systems. These tests have demonstrated Starlink’s effectiveness for critical communications, in-flight connectivity, real-time data transfer, and joint coordination.
The birth of Starshield and its strategic function
Building on this technological foundation, a derivative version called Starshield was developed specifically for national security needs. Unlike Starlink, Starshield is designed for tactical observation, ballistic missile detection, and potentially the deployment of orbital military capabilities. To date, at least 118 Starshield satellites have been launched into orbit, with an architecture based on laser inter-satellite links and specialized sensors, enabling global surveillance, rapid targeting, and encrypted communications for military use.
Confirmed use in wartime
One of the first areas of application for these technologies was Ukraine, at the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Starlink was used to ensure the continuity of strategic digital infrastructure, guide armed drones, transmit artillery coordinates, and secure government networks. Given the proven effectiveness of the system, the Pentagon has funded more than 3,000 Starshield terminals, which are now deployed in various conflict zones to support secure communications, mobile command, and intelligence gathering operations.
In the Yemeni conflict: seizure of terminals
Targeted seizure and local surveillance
Since the beginning of 2024, Israeli-US strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen have intensified, particularly in the governorates of Sa’dah, Al-Hudaydah, and Sanaa. In this context, the Houthi militias, deprived of air or space reconnaissance capabilities comparable to those of the opposing coalitions, have ordered the mass confiscation of Starlink terminals used by the civilian population. These terminals are accused of enabling the location of Houthi military infrastructure by relaying data or images to the outside world. The areas concerned are mainly urban centers and strategic communication routes where the terminals have been most widely deployed. It is estimated that several hundred devices have been seized, sometimes by force.
Civilian misuse and technological disruption
Starlink was the only stable internet access for many Yemeni households, with speeds of 50 to 150 Mb/s, far superior to the country’s unstable terrestrial or cellular networks. The platform is frequently used to circumvent censorship, access unfiltered messaging services, and relay information to NGOs and foreign media. By confiscating these devices, the Houthis are weakening the local digital ecosystem and causing greater division between the population and the local authorities, who are accused of compromising access to information and humanitarian aid.
Impact on alternative communications
Faced with this disruption, many residents are turning to secondary means of communication, such as mobile phones, encrypted messaging via VPN, or even analog transmissions. These alternatives, which are often unstable, increase the risk of interception, particularly by Houthi intelligence services or other actors in the conflict. This situation also increases the level of risk for civilian informants, who must now transmit information under poor technical conditions and under increased surveillance.
Human and geopolitical consequences
Digital deprivation and disruption of essential services
The seizure of Starlink terminals in Houthi-controlled areas is causing massive disruption to civilian communication networks. In a country like Yemen, where the telecommunications infrastructure has been severely damaged by more than eight years of war, these terminals were often the only reliable and continuous connection to the internet, with download speeds of 50 to 150 Mb/s. Their disappearance deprives thousands of households of access to remote healthcare, secure communication platforms, international money transfers, and educational resources. NGOs report a decline in humanitarian coordination in some rural provinces due to the lack of stable communication channels.
Internal divisions and community polarization
The decision to confiscate Starlink equipment is not unanimously supported, even in areas loyal to the Houthis. A socio-political divide is emerging between an informed, often urban civilian population that used these terminals for practical or social purposes, and the militia structures that impose centralized control over information. This tension is fueling the emergence of local resistance movements, with some choosing to anonymously disseminate the positions of Houthi forces and others publicly denouncing the confiscation as an act of repression. This climate is contributing to weakening the legitimacy of Houthi rule in certain areas, particularly among younger generations.
Militarization of space and redefinition of conflicts
Beyond the Yemeni case, the incident illustrates a structural change in modern conflicts: commercial civilian satellites are becoming indirect military levers. In parallel with Starlink, the United States is strengthening Starshield, China is developing SpaceSail, and Amazon is accelerating the deployment of Kuiper. All aim to control low Earth orbit (LEO), which has become a strategic theater for surveillance, communication, and potentially deterrence. This competition is fueling geopolitical tensions, with civilian terminals becoming military targets, particularly in areas where local militias or weakly structured states lack sovereign means of communication or surveillance.
Outlook and future challenges
International legal framework and regulatory gap
The growing military use of civilian satellites such as Starlink raises major legal questions at the international level. Existing treaties, notably the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST), prohibit the weaponization of space but do not explicitly regulate the dual use of commercial satellites. The current lack of clarity on the legal classification of mixed-use (civil/military) constellations opens up a field of interpretation that is already causing tensions between states. Discussions are emerging within UN bodies to determine whether the seizure or jamming of civilian terminals in conflict zones should be considered a violation of international humanitarian law, and to what extent private actors such as SpaceX can be held responsible for the use of their services in military theaters of operation.
Growth of constellations and technological race
The Starlink/Starshield model is part of a dual-use technology approach, capable of providing both global internet coverage and tactical surveillance capabilities. Other nations are following suit: China has announced the gradual launch of 15,000 satellites in its SpaceSail constellation by 2030, while Amazon plans to deploy more than 3,200 as part of its Kuiper project. This expansion is transforming low Earth orbit (LEO) into a strategic competitive zone, where real-time information is becoming a military resource. Optical capabilities, inter-satellite laser links and integrated recognition algorithms make these systems advanced analytical tools that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Digital dependence and limited sovereignty
One of the indirect effects of this development is the weakening of the digital sovereignty of underdeveloped or war-torn states or territories. In Yemen, as in other conflict zones, the civilian population depends on a foreign commercial actor for access to information, communication, organization, and alerts to the outside world. This dependence creates a power imbalance in which whoever controls the satellite infrastructure—in this case, SpaceX, a US company—indirectly wields strategic leverage. This situation raises the question of technological autonomy and the need for states to develop sovereign alternatives to prevent monopolistic control of space connectivity and digital surveillance.
The Starlink affair in Yemen illustrates the profound transformation of the role of civilian satellites: they are now not only a means of accessing information, but also tools for strategic space surveillance.
The mobilization of these terminals in a local conflict reveals the growing complexity of modern warfare, where technology, sovereignty, access to information, and space rivalries are inextricably linked.
Understanding this episode in Yemen means anticipating the future geopolitical challenges associated with the expansion of satellite constellations.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.