Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency, sources say

[marioIT]

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.

"No one can hide," one of the sources said of the system’s potential capability, when describing the network's reach.

The plans show the extent of SpaceX's involvement in U.S. intelligence and military projects and illustrate a deeper Pentagon investment into vast, low-Earth orbiting satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces.
If successful, the sources said the program would significantly advance the ability of the U.S. government and military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe.

The NRO includes personnel from the U.S. Space Force and CIA and provides classified satellite imagery for the Pentagon and other intelligence agencies.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/...rk-us-intelligence-agency-sources-2024-03-16/

 

[jafo]

Surprise, surprise!

 

[wellington]

Kinda expected - if I were North Korea I’d fire a missile up there and see what happens lol

 

[mraleph]

Kinda expected - if I were North Korea I’d fire a missile up there and see what happens lol

If by North Korean missile(s) you assume ones with a nuclear payload, what would happen after an exo-atmopheric nuclear explosion is that Asians would see Aurora Borealis.

Beside a lovely light effects, if North Koreans detonate a nuclear missile(s) in range of 1000-12000km from Earth, the Van Allen belt would be energized - primary gamma radiation and hyper-energized particles in Van Allen belt will destroy any satellite operating in LEO, MEO and GEO in the line of sight of the explosion and orbit thru the belt and provoke Kessler syndrome - cascading collisions of primary debris with operating satellite vehicles causing further debris.

What that could cause down here is already shown in majority of post-apocalyptic and dystopian TV shows.

A constelation being discussed here is a Starshield and is not quite a new subject. It's a pLEO - a proliferated low earth orbit constellation that increases resilience and survivability of the constellation in case of exo-atmospheric nuclear detonation or other anti-satellite weapons.