SpaceX has been hired by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) of the Department of Defense to construct a network of hundreds of low-orbiting spy satellites that can track targets on the ground and function as a swarm. Building on prior reports by The Wall Street Journal that revealed SpaceX had inked a $1.8 billion contract in 2021 with an unnamed government, the Reuters report cited five persons with knowledge of the program.
According to reports, this network, known as Starshield, would be able to continuously capture imagery for US intelligence throughout the planet by combining huge imaging satellites for data collection and relay satellites for information transmission. One individual who talked to Reuters said that it might make it such that “no one can hide.” “The National Reconnaissance Office is developing the most capable, diverse, and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system the world has ever seen,” an NRO spokesperson told Reuters, without specifically confirming SpaceX’s participation in the project.
Last fall, it was reported that SpaceX had bagged a $70 million contract with the Space Force to provide satellite communications under its Starshield program. This is a distinct entity from SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, at least according to Elon Musk, who has said Starlink “needs to be a civilian network,” whereas Starshield is meant to be used for government and national security purposes.
