WASHINGTON - SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a US intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the programme said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company and national security agencies.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule launches from Pad-39A on the Crew 5 mission carrying crew members commander Nicole Mann, pilot Josh Cassada, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina and Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, on Oct 5, 2022.
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 Ukraine's fight against Russian invasion, the sources said. SpaceX, the world's largest satellite operator, did not respond to several requests for comment about the contract, its role in it and details on satellite launches.In a statement, the NRO acknowledged its mission 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.
A US government database of objects in orbit shows several SpaceX missions having deployed satellites that neither the company nor the government have ever acknowledged. Two sources confirmed those to be prototypes for the Starshield network. "No one can hide," one of the sources said of the system's potential capability, when describing the network's reach.
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