Networks
Satellite service supports troops and Ukraine, but payments may raise eyebrows after boss’s political broadsides
Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has clocked up a £16.6
million ($22.6 million) bill with Starlink over the past four years, despite SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressing a desire to overthrow the UK government.
Data released by the MoD shows that Britain has continued to
pay for access to the spaceborne data network, primarily to help support the
Ukrainian military in its ongoing battle against the Russian invasion.
Not all of the expenditure is accounted for by Ukraine, however. Some goes toward providing British military personnel serving overseas with a vital link home.
According to Business Matters, upward of 50,000 Starlink
terminals have been sent to Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022. Initially,
the cost of helping that nation’s frontline communications was borne by Starlink
itself, with some
grumbling from Musk, who controls the company’s parent business, SpaceX.
However, a year later the satellite operator clinched an official
US government contract covering the Starlink service for Ukraine,
which we understand is still funded by the Department of Defense (DoD),
although President Trump has not sought congressional approval for any new
funding for US military assistance to Ukraine since returning to office.
The UK appears to be footing part of the Starlink bill. The MoD acknowledged the figure, with some spending understood to cover terminals gifted to Ukraine, including their purchase and airtime.
However, the MoD seems keen to emphasize that Starlink is
not being used for any kind of military purposes by British forces.
“Starlink technology is not used for military operations and
is primarily used by our hardworking personnel to stay connected with their
loved ones when they’re in areas without regular internet access, for example
on a warship,” a spokesperson told The Register.
“As the public would rightly expect, all spending is
rigorously checked to ensure it delivers value for taxpayers’
money and spend on Starlink has significantly reduced in the last year.”
Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and remote control of drones.
The sum is modest in relation to the entire UK defense budget, on track to hit £62.2 billion ($85 billion) for FY 2025/26. It is also likely just covering a small part of the Ukrainian service costs, as Starlink was asking for $400 million per year to cover these at one point.
Some Brits may feel
uncomfortable paying a man who has openly
called for the overthrow of the British government. Earlier this year, Musk publicly mused whether the US should “liberate the people of Britain
from their tyrannical government.” No, it wasn’t on April 1. ®
