Reuters on March 16 quoted five sources as saying that SpaceX's Starshield business unit is building a network of spy satellites under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that manages US spy satellites.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launches on missions for the Space Force and the Missile Defense Agency in February.
The project represents a deepening relationship between billionaire Elon Musk's space company and national security agencies, and represents a deeper Pentagon investment in vast satellite systems orbiting the Earth to support ground forces.
If successful, the program would dramatically enhance the ability of the U.S. government and military to rapidly detect potential targets almost anywhere in the world, the sources said.
The contract also shows the intelligence community's growing trust in a company whose owners have clashed with the Biden administration and sparked controversy over its use of Starlink satellite connections during the conflict in Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal reported in February the existence of a top-secret $1.8 billion contract with an unidentified intelligence agency without detailing the purpose of the program.
The Reuters report first revealed that the contract is to build a powerful new spy satellite system with hundreds of Earth-imaging devices that can operate as a swarm in low-Earth orbit. Reuters also identified the intelligence agency Musk’s company is working with as the NRO. It is unclear when the system will be operational.
SpaceX and the Pentagon did not comment. The NRO acknowledged its mission to work with government agencies, companies, research institutes and countries to develop an advanced satellite system but did not comment on SpaceX’s involvement.
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