Why the world’s militaries are scrambling to create their own Starlink

Starlink’s satellite constellation provides reliable internet connection almost anywhere on Earth, providing an advantage on the modern battlefield. But it is also led by controversial billionaire Elon Musk, posing a risk to armies that could easily find themselves isolated. So, countries are now rushing to create their own version.

The Starlink network consists of nearly 10,000 satellites that provide Internet connections to most of the planet via small satellite dishes on the ground. The company says it has more than 10 million paying civilian customers, but the service is also used for military purposes. Modern warfare is a data-intensive activity, with intelligence, video feeds and drone control instructions transmitted 24 hours a day.

Unlike radios, which can be easily jammed by adversaries, Starlink’s signals point directly from ground stations into space and are relatively robust. And because the receivers are cheap, they can be supplied to small military units and even used on remotely controlled ground and aerial drones.

But in a world where global tensions are rising and states are seeking sovereignty in everything from computer chip manufacturing to nuclear deterrence, relying on a foreign service like Starlink to coordinate troops is seen as increasingly risky. Especially when it’s controlled by a mercurial figure like Musk.

Ukraine and Russia have used Starlink since the 2022 invasion, with reports suggesting Russia guided attack drones with it. But in February, the company restricted access to registered users and effectively excluded Russian troops from the service. This decision would have had serious repercussions on Russia’s ability to coordinate its military and would have given Ukraine an advantage, at least in the short term. No other nation wants to be in the same boat.

The European Union is building its own version called Infrastructure for Satellite Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security (IRIS²), which will have around 300 satellites, but is not expected to start operating until 2030. China is also building the Guowang network, which will have 13,000 satellites but currently has fewer than 200, and the Qianfan constellation, which is also in the early stages of construction. Russia’s Sfera constellation project has faced delays.

Even European states are working to develop their own versions, distinct from those of the EU. Germany is in talks to create its own network, which is still in the planning stages, and the United Kingdom retains a stake in satellite Internet provider Eutelsat OneWeb, having saved its precursor from bankruptcy thanks to the importance of this technology. A British start-up called OpenCosmos is also working on a similar system, ironically with the support of the US intelligence agency, the CIA.

Anthony King, of the University of Exeter, UK, says it is “striking” that a private communications company can occupy such a powerful position on the world stage today, capable of granting or denying advantage in future conflicts, but that wealthy superpowers will catch up over time. “Of course the Chinese will have one, and they have one [of current lesser size]“this will provide them with secure digital satellite communications in any future conflict,” he says.

Skyrocketing costs

Although Starlink is a private company, Barry Evans of the University of Surrey, UK, says it has been heavily funded for strategic reasons by the US government and even offers a more secure militarized version called Starshield.

“There are governments that rely on an individual, which is one of the things that worries Europe,” says Evans. “[Musk] turns it off in different countries at different times. There’s a lot going on and, for the UK, it’s quite worrying because we don’t really have the funds to launch our own system.”

Evans says even Russia and China are far behind Starlink, which has the advantage of being fully owned by rocket company SpaceX and therefore able to launch its satellites cheaply and on its own schedule.

Creating these vast networks is not a one-time cost, but requires costly maintenance and the continual launching of new satellites to replace older units when they fail or run out of the fuel they need to maintain a stable orbit. Since the UK does not have its own launch capability, it would still have to rely to some extent on another country, even if it were to create its own satellite constellation.

Ian Muirhead of the University of Manchester, UK, who served in military communications for more than two decades, says armies once used radio and then began deploying what was essentially a temporary mobile phone network when they went into battle, allowing soldiers to communicate remotely.

But as the military shrank after the Cold War, this became prohibitive and difficult, Muirhead says, and so the military began using satellite communications instead. However, this relied on a small number of proprietary satellites and required expensive and bulky hardware on the ground. Starlink offers even greater capabilities, at much lower cost and complexity, at least in the field.

Muirhead says this also provides an advantage when considering space war with an adversary. “Because there are so many of them, they can’t just destroy a satellite and say it’s over – they’re still above us,” he says.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.