Starlink's Operations in the Western Brazilian Amazon (2022–2025): the vulnerability of Brazil's digital sovereignty

Abstract

This research analyzes how Starlink’s activities in the Brazilian Amazon from 2022 to 2025 reveal the fragility of Brazil’s digital sovereignty. The study seeks to answer how the operations of SpaceX’s subsidiary affect Brazil’s digital sovereignty in the Western Amazon, considering the State’s preference for its services and U.S. control over critical infrastructure. The study is grounded in the theoretical approaches of International Security Studies, Critical Constructivism, and Constructivist Theory in International Relations. Its framework encompasses the concept of sovereignty, along with the notions of identity and interest as they relate to Musk/SpaceX. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative, documentary, and interpretive approach, designed as a case study covering the period from 2022 to 2025. It draws on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Content Analysis (CA) to investigate official government documents and those produced by government agencies, as well as news reports from media outlets addressing the topic. The results demonstrate an incompatibility between the discourse presented by the Brazilian Army to the media and to the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), through technical notes, and the contractual clauses of the main agreement entered into between the Western Amazon Military Command and Pulsar Brasil Telecomunicações, the subsidiary and operator of Starlink. This analysis is further supported by the impossibility of accessing invoices for the services through the Transparency Portal, despite the Army having previously stated to the UOL news website, during the TCU audit, that such access would be guaranteed.