Investing.com -- Britain has spent nearly $40 million on SpaceX satellite services, making it the first country outside the United States to publicly confirm its use of Starshield, the company's military and intelligence communications service, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The British defence ministry disclosed the spending in response to a freedom of information request. The ministry said it operates about 1,000 Starshield terminals and 500 Starlink terminals. Total expenditure includes approximately £13 million ($17.6 million) on Starshield for terminals and airtime, and £16.5 million on Starlink.
Britain began using Starlink in mid-2022 and has since moved operational military communications to Starshield. The defence ministry adopted Starshield after SpaceX required that Starlink be used only for morale, welfare, recreation and training purposes.
The ministry said Starshield provides enhanced encryption, military-specific terms of service, the highest level of network prioritization, flexible licensing arrangements, and expanded coverage. The service uses the same satellite constellation as Starlink but operates through dedicated terminals and separate ground-based network gateways.
Britain purchased its first dedicated Starshield terminals in 2025 after beginning to use Starshield airtime with existing Starlink terminals in 2024.