SpaceX is building network of hundreds of spy satellites for US intelligence

The private aerospace company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, has been doing quite well with government contracts since its inception. Reuters reported at the end of this week that since 2020, SpaceX has been forming a low-orbit network of hundreds of spy satellites for the interests of US military intelligence, with the contract amounting to $1.8 billion.

The division of SpaceX responsible for implementing this project is called Starshield. As early as 2020, the company began launching prototypes of reconnaissance satellites into orbit, enabling the rapid acquisition of images of almost any target on the Earth's surface for the planning of military operations at tactical and operational levels.

The first prototypes of such satellites, of which there are now more than a dozen, were launched by SpaceX under a separate $200 million contract since 2020, but a year later, a $1.8 billion contract was signed covering obligations to launch several hundred satellites for this purpose.

It is emphasized that the Starshield reconnaissance network will operate independently of the existing Starlink constellation but will also be positioned in low orbit. In addition to optical sensors, SpaceX's reconnaissance satellites will require equipment for high-speed transmission of information through optical channels, which is being developed by third-party contractors for the company's needs.

The entire project remains secret, but the first mentions of it appeared in The Wall Street Journal in February of this year. According to Reuters, the Starshield program is being implemented for the interests of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) of the United States. Experts explain that if this initiative succeeds, the US military will obtain a powerful reconnaissance system that will enable them to promptly track the movements of enemy ground forces practically worldwide.