US inteligence agencies may get Elon Musk’s SpaceX built satellite network

SpaceX in US intelligence ranks: Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space communications firm SpaceX, is creating a network involving hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a US intelligence agency, five people privy to the matter said. The US intelligence agency joining hands with SpaceX is seen as a deepening of ties between Musk's space company and national security agencies.

The network is being developed 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 manages spy satellites, the sources said. The joint synergy indicates the levels of SpaceX's involvement in US intelligence and military projects and showcases a deeper Pentagon investment into vast, low-Earth orbiting satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces.

As per sources, if successful, the joint program would significantly advance the ability of the US government and military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe. The contract signals growing trust by the intelligence establishment of a company whose owner has clashed with the Biden administration and sparked controversy over the use of Starlink satellite connectivity in the Ukraine war, the sources said.

As per a Wall Street Journal report published in February the existence of a $1.8 billion classified Starshield contract with an unknown intelligence agency without detailing the purposes of the program.

For the first time, media reports say that the SpaceX contract is for a powerful new spy system with hundreds of satellites bearing Earth-imaging capabilities that can operate as a swarm in low orbits, and that the spy agency that Musk's company is working with is the NRO. It has not been possible to find out the timeframe of the new network of satellites to online and no media reports have been able to establish which other companies are part of the program with their own contracts.

The world's largest satellite operator, SpaceX was non-commital to repeated requests for a comment about the contract, its role in it and details on satellite launches. The Pentagon referred a request for comment to the NRO and SpaceX.

In its statement the NRO admitted that there was a mission underway to develop a sophisticated satellite system and its partnerships with other government agencies, companies, research institutions and nations, but declined to comment on Reuters' findings about 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 and military officials, the sources said. In principle, that would enable the U.S. government to quickly capture continuous imagery of activities on the ground nearly anywhere on the globe, aiding intelligence and military operations, they added. Roughly a dozen prototypes have been launched since 2020, among other satellites on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets, three of the sources said.

(With Reuters inputs)