SpaceX is reportedly building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a secret contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, in a sign of deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company and national security agencies.
Citing five sources familiar with the program, Reuters reported that the network is being built by SpaceX's Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) , an intelligence agency that operates spy satellites.
The plans show the extent of SpaceX's involvement in U.S. intelligence and military projects and illustrate a deeper Pentagon investment in massive low-Earth orbit satellite systems aimed at supporting ground troops.
If successful, the sources said the program would significantly increase the ability of the US government and military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere in the world.
The contract signals growing confidence in the intelligence community of a company whose owner has clashed with the Biden administration and sparked controversy over the use of Starlink satellite connectivity in the war in Ukraine, the sources said.
The Wall Street Journal reported in February about the existence of a secret $1.8 billion Starshield contract with an unknown intelligence agency, without detailing the program's purposes.
Reports from Reuters reveal for the first time that the SpaceX contract is for a powerful new spy system with hundreds of satellites with Earth imaging capabilities that can operate as a swarm in low orbits, and that the spy agency with which Mr. Musk collaborates with the NRO.
Reuters was unable to determine when the new network of satellites would come online and could not identify which other companies with their own contracts are part of the program.
SpaceX, the world's largest satellite operator, did not respond to several requests for comment about the contract, its role and details of satellite launches. The Pentagon has forwarded a request for comment to the NRO and SpaceX.
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In a statement, the NRO acknowledged its mission to develop an advanced satellite system and its partnerships with other government agencies, companies, research institutions and countries, but declined to comment on Reuters' findings on the extent of SpaceX's involvement in the effort .
"The National Reconnaissance Office is developing the most capable, diverse and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system the world has ever seen," a spokesperson said.
The satellites can track targets on the ground and share that data with U.S. intelligence agencies and military officials, the sources said. In principle, this would allow the US government to quickly capture continuous images of activities on the ground almost anywhere in the world, which would support intelligence and military operations, she added.
About a dozen prototypes have been launched since 2020, along with other satellites on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets, three sources said.
A U.S. government database of objects in orbit shows that several SpaceX missions have deployed satellites that neither the company nor the government have ever recognized. Two sources confirmed that they were prototypes for the Starshield network.
All sources asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to discuss the U.S. government program.
The Pentagon is already a major customer of SpaceX, using its Falcon 9 rockets to launch military payloads into space.
Starshield's first prototype satellite, launched in 2020, was part of a separate contract worth about $200 million that helped position SpaceX for its subsequent $1.8 billion award, one of the sources said.
The planned Starshield network is separate from Starlink, SpaceX's growing commercial broadband constellation, which has about 5,500 satellites in space to provide consumers, businesses and government agencies with near-global internet.
The secret constellation of spy satellites represents one of the U.S. government's most sought-after capabilities in space, as it is designed to provide the most persistent, ubiquitous, and rapid coverage of activities on Earth.
"No one can hide," one of the sources said of the system's potential capabilities when describing the network's reach.
Mr Musk, who is also the founder and CEO of Tesla and owner of social media company Kiev used it before. secure communication in the conflict with Russia. That authority over Starlink in a war zone by Mr Musk, and not the US military, has created tension between him and the US government.
A series of stories from Reuters have detailed how Musk's manufacturing activities, including at SpaceX, have hurt consumers and workers.
The Starshield network is part of an intensifying competition between the US and its rivals to become the dominant military power in space, in part by expanding spy satellite systems away from bulky, expensive spacecraft in higher orbits. Instead, a massive low-orbit network could enable faster and near-constant imaging of Earth.
China also plans to build its own satellite constellations and the Pentagon has warned of space weapons threats from Russia that could take out entire satellite networks.
Starshield wants to be more resilient against attacks from advanced space powers.
The network is also intended to significantly expand the U.S. government's remote sensing capabilities and will consist of large satellites with image sensors, as well as a larger number of relay satellites that transmit the image data and other communications over the network using intersatellite lasers. , two sources said.
The NRO includes personnel from the US Space Force and the CIA and provides classified satellite imagery for the Pentagon and other intelligence agencies.
The spy satellites will house sensors supplied by another company, three sources said.
