SpaceX wins first Pentagon contract for Starshield, its satellite network for military use

SpaceX wins first Pentagon contract for Starshield, its satellite network for military use


An uncaptioned image posted on the company’s website appears to show Starshield technology in orbit.

SpaceX

The Pentagon has awarded Elon Musk’s SpaceX its first confirmed contract for the Starshield network it’s developing, a military-specific version of the company’s Starlink satellite internet system, the defense agency said Wednesday.

A Space Force spokesperson confirmed that SpaceX on Sept. 1 was awarded a one-year contract for Starshield with a maximum value of $70 million. The award came alongside 18 other companies through a program run by the Space Force’s commercial satellite communications office.

“The SpaceX contract provides for Starshield end-to-end service (via the Starlink constellation), user terminals, ancillary equipment, network management and other related services,” Space Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek told CNBC.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the Starshield contract.

The company unveiled Starshield last year as a new business line. The Pentagon is already a high-value buyer of the company’s rocket launches and had shown increasing interest in its Starlink satellite internet.

SpaceX has given few details about the intended scope and capabilities of Starshield. It markets the service as the center of an “end-to-end,” dedicated offering for national security with capabilities distinct from its Starlink consumer and enterprise network.

Sign up here to receive weekly editions of CNBC’s Investing in Space newsletter.

SpaceX’s award for Starshield follows its June win of a Pentagon contract to buy an undefined number of Starlink ground terminals for use in Ukraine.

The initial phase of the Starshield contract obligates $15 million to SpaceX by Sept. 30, to provide services that support 54 military “mission partners” across Department of Defense branches, the spokesperson said.

Bloomberg first reported the contract on Thursday.

— CNBC’s Claudia Johnson contributed to this report.



Source

Trump administration pulls additional 5 million from California high-speed rail project
Business

Trump administration pulls additional $175 million from California high-speed rail project

NASA administrator Sean Duffy visits the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at the Kennedy Space Center for Space Launch Complex 39A before the NASA and SpaceX Launch Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station on July 31, 2025 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo | Getty Images Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy […]

Read More
Student housing CEO says luxury is losing its appeal
Business

Student housing CEO says luxury is losing its appeal

Annex, a Scion community in Oxford, Ohio, that serves students of Miami University. Courtesy of Scion A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional […]

Read More
Lamborghini CEO says tariffs are causing even the wealthiest buyers to pause
Business

Lamborghini CEO says tariffs are causing even the wealthiest buyers to pause

Uncertainty around tariffs has caused even the wealthiest buyers of Lamborghini supercars to hold off on their purchases, CEO Stephan Winkelmann told CNBC. While the White House recently announced an agreement with Europe on a 15% tariff rate, that rate hasn’t yet taken effect for cars. Lamborghini and other European automakers are still paying a […]

Read More