{
  "id": 6584194,
  "title": "UK deepens reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/uk-deepens-reliance-on-musks-spacex-spending-nearly-40-million-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T11:51:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/uk-deepens-reliance-on-musks-spacex-spending-nearly-40-million-on-satellite-services/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United Kingdom has increased its dependence on SpaceX, investing nearly $40 million in satellite services provided by the company's Elon Musk. This shift in reliance came to light following a freedom of information request, making Britain the first non-U.S. country to publicly adopt Starshield, SpaceX's military and intelligence-focused service. The defense ministry disclosed it operates around 1,000 Starshield terminals and 500 Starlink terminals, having spent £13 million ($17.6 million) on Starshield and £16.5 million on Starlink. Starshield, marketed for government and national security customers, is distinct from consumer-oriented Starlink. The adoption of Starshield follows its use by Ukraine during Russia's invasion and is intended for military communications, offering enhanced encryption and military-specific terms of service. The UK began using Starshield in mid-2022 and shifted operational military communications traffic to the service recently. While Britain maintains its own military satellite communications network, Skynet, and holds shares in Eutelsat, Starshield remains a strategic choice amid concerns over Europe's long-term security dependence on the United States.",
  "summary": "Britain has spent nearly $40 million on SpaceX satellite services, deepening its reliance on Elon Musk's company for military communications despite growing European concerns about dependence on U.S. security infrastructure.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Exclusive-UK deepens reliance on Musk's SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/exclusive-uk-deepens-reliance-on-musks-spacex-spending-nearly-40",
        "published": "2026-09-10T11:27:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Economic Times Tech",
        "title": "UK deepens reliance on Musk's SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/uk-deepens-reliance-on-musks-spacex-spending-nearly-40-million-on-6592004",
        "published": "2026-09-10T13:12:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Exclusive-UK deepens reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/exclusive-uk-deepens-reliance-on-musks-spacex-spending-nearly-40",
        "published": "2026-09-10T16:18:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}