SpaceX’s Starshield unit has had a confidential contract with the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) since 2021 to build a network of “hundreds” of spy satellites for the agency, Reuters Today’s report cited unnamed sources as “familiar with the plans.”
A wall street journal A report in February listed classified contracts worth $1.8 billion between SpaceX and a then-unnamed government agency.Now Reuters A name has been attached, and it is for a network of “hundreds of satellites with Earth imaging capabilities that could operate in clusters in low orbit.”
The report did not reveal when the network would become operational, or what other companies were involved. It did mention that a U.S. database of space objects lists satellites deployed by SpaceX, but that the company and the government have not acknowledged it, citing sources confirming the objects are StarShield prototypes.
according to ReutersIf the NRO contract is successful, it will “significantly improve the U.S. government and military’s ability to quickly detect potential targets virtually anywhere around the world.
An NRO spokesman reportedly declined to comment Reuters Following the findings of SpaceX’s involvement, the company confirmed to the media that it is working to develop “the most capable, diverse, and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system the world has ever seen.”