Northrop Grumman is working with Musk’s SpaceX on a US spy satellite system

Northrop Grumman is working with Musk’s SpaceX on a US spy satellite system

Aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman is working with SpaceX, billionaire space entrepreneur Elon Musk, on a classified spy satellite project that already captures high-resolution imagery of Earth, according to people familiar with the program.

The program, details of which were first reported by Reuters last month, aims to improve the US government’s ability to track military and intelligence targets from low Earth orbit, providing high-resolution imagery of a type that has traditionally been captured mostly by drones. and reconnaissance aircraft.

Northrop Grumman’s ( NOC.N ) entry, which has not been previously reported, reflects a desire among government officials to avoid putting too much control over a highly sensitive intelligence program in the hands of a single contractor, four people familiar with the project said. told Reuters. “It is in the interest of the government not to be fully invested in a company run by one person,” said one of the citizens.

It is unclear if other contractors are currently involved or may join the project as it develops. Spokesmen at Northrop Grumman and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.

Northrop Grumman is providing sensors for some of SpaceX’s satellites, people familiar with the project told Reuters. Northrop Grumman, two of the people added, will test the satellite at its own facility before it is launched. At least 50 of SpaceX’s satellites are expected to be at the Northrop Grumman facility for procedures including testing and sensor installation in the coming years, one of the people said.

In March, Reuters reported that the National Reconnaissance Office, or NRO, in 2021 awarded a $1.8 billion contract to SpaceX for the classified project, a planned network of hundreds of satellites. So far, people familiar with the project said, SpaceX has launched about a dozen prototypes and has provided test imagery to the NRO, an intelligence agency that oversees the development of US spy satellites.

The collection of imagery has never been reported before.

In a statement, an NRO spokesperson said the agency “always works with a diverse group of partners to deliver the most capable, diverse and resilient space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.” The spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the satellite network or identify any companies that may be involved.

The network’s imaging capabilities are designed to have superior resolution compared to most existing US government surveillance systems.

It’s also designed to address another concern: Currently, US defense and intelligence agencies collect large amounts of imagery from drones and surveillance planes in other countries’ sovereign airspace, which poses risks, especially in conflict zones. Placing the image collection in Earth orbit reduces the risk, US officials said.

For SpaceX, known for its rapid launches of reusable rockets and commercial internet satellites, the project is its first known foray into intelligence surveillance services, which have long been the domain of governments and space contractors.

Since SpaceX began operating more than two decades ago, Musk and other company officials have resisted working with established aerospace and defense contractors, many of which they have criticized as bureaucratic and slow.

But even as space and intelligence agencies work more closely with SpaceX, people familiar with the contract said, officials want to make sure other partners are included. Northrop Grumman has a long history as a defense and intelligence contractor, having provided the US government with products and services including military satellites, manned spacecraft and space-based communications.

When the new spy satellite network is fully deployed, the people told Reuters, it will be equipped with a variety of different sensors, including optical and radar technologies. The system will also feature relay satellites that can send imagery and other data across the network, the two people added.