By Joey Roulette and Cassell Bryan-Low

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Iran’s crackdown on dissidents is shaping up as one of the toughest security tests yet for Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has served as a lifeline against state-imposed internet blackouts since its deployment during the war in Ukraine.

SpaceX, which owns Starlink, made the satellite service free for Iranians earlier this week, placing Musk's space company at the center of another geopolitical hot spot and pitting a team of U.S.-based engineers against a regional power armed with satellite jammers and signal-spoofing tactics, according to activists, analysts and researchers.

How SpaceX withstands Iranian attacks on its most lucrative line of business is expected to be closely watched by U.S. military forces and intelligence agencies that use Starlink and its military-grade variant Starshield, as well as China, whose own nascent satellite internet constellations are set to rival Starlink in the coming years. With SpaceX weighing a public listing this year, the situation in Iran also represents a high-profile showcase for Starlink to investors.

"We're in this weird early part of the history of space-delivered communications where SpaceX is the only true provider at this scale," said John Plumb, the former Pentagon space policy chief under President Joe Biden.

"And these repressive regimes think they can still turn off communications, but I think the day is coming where that's just not possible," he........

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