Starlink-owned Starshield has earned a contract with the US Space Force Credit: Shutterstock / Mike Mareen

SpaceX-owned Starshield, the defense optimised version of its Starlink low earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service, has won its first contract from the US Space Force. 

The contract has a maximum value of $70 and “provides for Starshield end-to-end service via the Starlink constellation, user terminals, ancillary equipment, network management and other related services,” a US Air Force spokesperson told Bloomberg. 

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Starshield will support over 50 mission partners across the US military and will be obligated $15m by the end of September. 

SpaceX’s Starlink LEO internet broadband satellite constellation is the largest fleet of
satellites, with over 4,000 operating satellites in orbit.

Starlink’s role in military settings made headlines when SpaceX sent Ukraine shipments of Starlink satellites for use against Russia’s invasion. 

This was thrown into ambiguity when it was reported that Musk refused to activate the service from Ukraine’s request ahead of a Russia attack, seeming to go back on his initial approval.

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SpaceX’s Starshield, the dedicated military version of Starlink, will make the usage of Musk’s satellites in military settings clearer. Announced in December 2022, the company said the service “leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts”.

SpaceX was the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and
return it safely to Earth.

The company is charging clients $67m per launch of the Falcon 9, its partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle.