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At the moment everything seems to indicate that the United States is seeking to acquire new capabilities in terms of spy satellites. A few days ago, we told you about an American startup, Albedo Space, which is developing a new satellite capable of tracking and individually imaging human targets on the ground.
Reuters reveals the existence of another secret contract, worth $1.8 billion, between SpaceX and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This agency, little known to the general public, is mainly responsible for the design, construction, launch and maintenance of American intelligence satellites.
Is SpaceX in the process of to lay the groundwork for the Starshield project ?
The NRO satellites play, as you can imagine, a crucial role in the security of the United States in providing senior policymakers, the intelligence community, and the Department of Defense (DoD) with critical information in a variety of areas, including direct imaging theaters of operations and other targets, intelligence of electromagnetic origin as well as intelligence derived from measurements and radio signatures.
The NRO was initially a classified, completely secret agency – its existence was not actually officially recognized until the early 1990s. The agency operates under the jurisdiction of the DoD, and works closely with other agencies intelligence and military to fulfill its mission.
From what we know, the NRO satellite systems are already capable of monitoring a wide range of ;#8217;activities across the world, from tracking terrorist activities to monitoring the military movements of potential adversaries, including assessing the impact of natural disasters and monitoring climate change .
According to sources cited by The Verge, it would be “hundreds of satellites with capabilities of’ ground imaging placed in low orbit”, which, a priori, as in the case of Albedo Space, may allow better resolution images for the American intelligence community. With the advantage of a dense constellation, which allows more immediate surveillance of any point on the globe.
The blog adds that this could be the beginnings of the “Starshield” a government network of satellites planned to be launched by SpaceX. Obviously, given the secret nature of these operations, it is difficult to know more. If not via this tweet from Elon Musk who explained that Starshield would be “owned by the United States government and controlled by the Space Force which depends on DoD”.
Starlink needs to be a civilian network, not a participant to combat.
Starshield will be owned by the US government and controlled by DoD Space Force.
This is the right order of things.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2023
- SpaceX would have tied up with the National Reconnaissance Office a contract worth more than $1.8 billion.
- This contract would concern a constellation of around a hundred satellites in low orbit, equipped with “ground imaging capabilities”.
- Which potentially makes it possible to obtain good resolution images of any point on the globe, almost immediately.
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