The contract was signed in 2021.
SpaceX Working on Hundreds of Spy Satellites for US Agency
Reuters says SpaceX is working with the National Reconnaissance Office to build a “classified system of swarming satellites”.
Elon Musk’s company signed an agreement with the NRO in 2021, but its ties were leaked over the weekend.
The satellites are being built under the same unit that manages Musk’s Starlink internet.
Reuters reports that “hundreds of satellites bearing Earth-imaging capabilities that can operate as a swarm in low orbits”, with an anonymous source saying “no one can hide” from them.