Musk’s SpaceX is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency
27 Mar 2024
News
Washington, March 16 (Reuters) - SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company and national security agencies.
The network is being built 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.
More Topics
Washington — The Pentagon’s commercial technology arm, the Defense Innovation Unit, announced March 20 it is funding three projects to explore ways to create a more robust space infrastructure that can support military operations beyond low Earth orbit.The projects were awarded to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and Spacebilt. “Each of...
As part of its initiative to establish new habitats in low Earth orbit, NASA has recently observed significant advancements in the life support system of Blue Origin's Orbital Reef, a commercial space station under development. This progress stems from the completion of testing milestones vital for sustaining human life in...
Stoke Space recently carried out the first test of the full-size 30-thruster version of the innovative engine that the company is producing for its in-development second stage. This will be an integral part of its future Nova rocket, which aims to be a fully reusable medium lifter.The engine test took...