UK deepens reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services
The spending was disclosed to Reuters in response to a freedom of information request and makes Britain the first country outside the U.S. to publicly acknowledge adopting Starshield, SpaceX’s service for military and intelligence missions. Starlink is marketed to consumer and commercial users.
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Britain’s defence ministry said it has about 1,000 Starshield terminals and 500 Starlink terminals. It has spent about £13 million ($17.6 million) on Starshield, including terminals and airtime, and £16.5 million on Starlink.
The disclosure comes at a time when European governments are seeking to bolster their own defence capabilities amid concerns over Washington’s long-term commitment to the continent’s security.
Musk repeatedly publicly criticised Britain’s government during the premiership of Keir Starmer, who was recently replaced by fellow Labour party politician Andy Burnham.
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Militaries have been adopting Starlink since Ukraine began using the network extensively following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, including for battlefield communications and drone operations.
SpaceX has increasingly drawn a distinction between Starlink and Starshield. Musk has said Starlink is intended for civilian use, while Starshield is marketed to government and national security customers. SpaceX did not respond to questions, including which countries have access to Starshield.
Britain’s defence ministry said it adopted Starshield after SpaceX mandated that Starlink only be used for morale, welfare, recreation and training purposes. The ministry said Starshield offers “enhanced encryption, military-specific terms of service, the highest level of network prioritisation, flexible licensing arrangements, and expanded coverage.”
For the UK, Starshield uses the same satellite constellation, ground stations and terrestrial infrastructure as Starlink but operates through dedicated terminals and separate ground-based network gateways, the ministry said.
According to the ministry’s response to Reuters, Britain began using Starshield airtime with existing Starlink terminals in 2024. It purchased its first dedicated Starshield terminals last year.
Britain also has its own military satellite communications network, Skynet, and is a shareholder in France-based Eutelsat, which runs the only major operational low-Earth orbit (LEO) broadband satellite constellation besides Starlink.
