Exclusive-UK deepens reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services

Britain has spent nearly $40 million (£29.5 million) on SpaceX satellite services, marking the first time a country outside the United States has publicly confirmed the adoption of Starshield, SpaceX's dedicated military and intelligence satellite network. Disclosed via a freedom of information request, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed it operates approximately 1,000 Starshield terminals and 500 Starlink terminals, having allocated £13 million to Starshield and £16.5 million to Starlink. The UK's transition to Starshield follows SpaceX directives limiting standard Starlink usage to non-operational functions such as morale and training. Starshield offers high-grade encryption, priority routing, and dedicated gateways at higher price points, with unlimited monthly plans reaching £25,000 alongside terminal hardware costing up to £7,000 each. This contract underscores SpaceX's expanding dominance in defense telecommunications and low-Earth-orbit constellations, where government contracts, including over $6 billion in multi-year U.S. awards, increasingly bolster the company's revenue and commercial footprint.