Inside SpaceX’s plans to build network of spy satellites as US Space Force looks to take on Chinese ‘kill web’

SPACEX is reportedly building a fleet of spy satellites, with defence giant Northrop Grumman, as part of a secret deal with a US intelligence agency.

It follows comments made by a top Space Force commander earlier this month regarding China’s monster network of tracking satellites.

Reuters

These satellites are believed to be monitoring western military operations on the ground – capabilities the US wants to match.

China’s rapid advancement in space has pushed Space Force to start work on its first-ever military exercise off-planet, to test how it might fend off “on-orbit aggression” from adversaries.

According to Reuters, SpaceX is building hundreds of spy satellites under its Starshield division as part of a $1.8billion classified contract.

Multiple contractors are being used alongside SpaceX.

This is so the unnamed US intelligence agency can avoid a scenario where one company – and one boss – has access to a large amount of highly sensitive information regarding the top-secret programme.

“It is in the government’s interest to not be totally invested in one company run by one person,” one of the news agency’s sources said, most likely referring to SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Northrop – one of the biggest defence suppliers in the world – will provide sensors for at least 50 of the satellites in the constellation.

All spy satellites are to be tested at Northrop’s facility prior to their launch into orbit, Reuters reported.

Sources said the program would significantly boost the ability for the White House and US military to detect and track ‘targets’ anywhere in the world.

These satellites are rumoured to be imaging satellites, so operators can capture activities on the ground from afar.

The timeline of the programme is unclear, so it’s impossible to determine when the new network of satellites might come online.

But roughly a dozen prototypes have been launched since 2020, among other satellites on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, three of the sources said.

SpaceX and Northrop Grumman occasionally conduct classified payload missions to space.

The next classified mission from Northrop, dubbed NROL-174, is scheduled to launch later this month.

The US’ National Reconnaissance Office – the satellite building branch of the Department of Defence – did not acknowledge claims of SpaceX’s involvement in the programme.

Instead, a spokesperson said: “The National Reconnaissance Office is developing the most capable, diverse, and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system the world has ever seen.”

CHINA’S INFLUENCE

Under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, China spent roughly $14billion (11.2billion) on its ambitious space programme in 2023, according to Statista.

Speaking to reporters at the 39th Space Symposium earlier this month, Gen. Stephen Whiting of US Space Command, said: “Frankly, China is moving at a breathtaking speed.

“Since 2018, China has more than tripled their on-orbit intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites.

“And with these systems, they’ve built a kill web over the Pacific Ocean to find, fix, track and, yes, target United States and allied military capabilities.”

The US Marine Corps defines a “kill web” as “a dynamic network that seamlessly integrates intelligence and warfare capabilities across various domains, including land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.”

The country has “built a range of counterspace weapons, from reversible jamming all the way up to kinetic hit-to-kill direct-ascent and co-orbital ASATs,” according to Whiting.

As part of global efforts to set-up permanent habitation facilities on the Moon, China has also revealed plans to take its ‘all seeing’ Skynet surveillance off-planet.

Nasa administrator Bill Nelson has been outspoken about his fears surrounding China’s activities in space – which Beijing says is purely scientific.

Nelson this week warned that China is hiding other military projects in space, which could see Beijing attempt to claim parts of the Moon as it’s own territory.