A network of hundreds of spy satellites is being developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX on behalf of the American intelligence service. The network of satellites is being built by Starshield, a unit of SpaceX, under a contract signed in 2021 with RNO, the intelligence agency responsible for the country’s spy satellites.
If the project succeeds, it will greatly enhance the ability of the US government and military to quickly identify potential targets almost anywhere in the world. Satellites can track targets on the ground and share that data with intelligence and military officials. This means that continuous images of activities on the ground of almost anyone and anywhere in the world can be quickly captured.
The contract signals growing confidence by intelligence agencies and the Pentagon in a company whose owner has clashed with the Biden administration while sparking controversy over its use of the Starlink satellite service in the Ukraine war. SpaceX’s growing involvement in US security projects is becoming apparent, while the Pentagon’s increasing emphasis on massive low-orbit satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces is also being revealed.
SpaceX, the world’s largest satellite operator, declined to comment on the information. The Pentagon referred Space X and the NRO. The NRO recognized its mission to develop a sophisticated satellite system and its partnerships with other government agencies and private companies.
