“Reuters reports that a secret $1.8 billion deal with the National Reconnaissance Office includes the creation of hundreds of satellites capable of imaging the Earth.“
According to Reuters, citing sources with knowledge of the program, SpaceX’s Starshield division has been under a secret contract with the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) since 2021 to develop a vast network of espionage satellites. A February report from The Wall Street Journal mentioned a secretive $1.8 billion contract between SpaceX and an unspecified government body.
Reuters has now identified that agency as the NRO and detailed that the contract is for constructing a network of “hundreds of satellites with Earth-imaging capabilities” designed to function collectively in low Earth orbits.
The report did not specify the network’s operational timeline or the other companies participating. However, it noted that a US database tracking space objects includes satellites launched by SpaceX, which neither the company nor the government has publicly recognized. Sources confirmed these satellites are prototypes for the Starshield project.
SpaceX characterizes Starshield as a secure satellite network tailored for government use, with Elon Musk stating on Twitter that it “will be owned by the US government and controlled by DoD Space Force.” Last autumn, Starshield secured a contract with the US Space Force to deliver satellite communications for the military using Starlink.
Reuters suggests that the successful execution of the NRO contract would markedly enhance the U.S. government and military’s capacity to swiftly identify potential targets globally.
Although an NRO spokesperson reportedly did not comment on Reuters’ revelations regarding SpaceX’s participation, they did confirm to the news agency that the NRO is aiming to create “the most capable, diverse, and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system the world has ever seen.”