UK Spends Nearly $40 Million on SpaceX Military Satellite Services

Britain has spent nearly $40 million on SpaceX satellite services, deepening its reliance on Elon Musk’s company for military communications amid growing European concerns about dependence on U.S. security infrastructure. The UK Ministry of Defence said it has around 1,000 Starshield terminals and 500 Starlink terminals, with about £13 million ($17.6 million) spent on Starshield and £16.5 million on Starlink.

The disclosure makes Britain the first country outside the United States to publicly acknowledge using Starshield, SpaceX’s satellite service designed for military and intelligence missions. Britain began using Starlink in 2022 and started shifting operational military communications to Starshield more recently. The Defence Ministry said Starshield provides enhanced encryption, military-specific terms, higher network prioritisation and expanded coverage, while operating on the same satellite constellation and infrastructure as Starlink through dedicated terminals and network gateways.

Starshield comes at a significantly higher cost than commercial Starlink services, with UK plans priced at £5,500 a month for 5 terabytes and £25,000 a month for unlimited data. Britain also maintains its own Skynet military satellite communications network and holds a stake in France-based Eutelsat. Meanwhile, other U.S. allies are assessing Starshield, with New Zealand currently trialling the system for potential military use. SpaceX has secured more than $6 billion in multi-year Starshield contracts from the U.S. government, underscoring the growing role of Musk’s satellite network in defence communications.

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