MoonThe internet service tool was essential in the early days of the war with Russia. But the caprices of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have exposed dangerous flaws.

THE RECENT ROW over SpaceX’s Starlink and its role in helping Ukraine defend itself from a rapacious Russian invasion seems to grow only more urgent, especially as the Russian government has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, targeting electricity, water, and communications. Starlink, an internet service powered by a vast “satellite constellation,” is an essential backstop against that destruction. At the outset of the Russian invasion, SpaceX sent thousands of its terminals to Ukraine to facilitate communication among the Armed Forces of Ukraine and help civilians communicate with the outside world.