From the conquest of Mars to global surveillance the step seems short, at least for SpaceX. Elon Musk's space company, already known for its Starlink satellite network, is in fact collaborating with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) of the USA to build a vast network of spy satellites.
To reveal it is a Reuters investigation, which cites anonymous sources aware of a classified contract signed in 2021. News which, if confirmed, could redefine the scenarios of international security and the space race.
In the kingdom of heaven (and secrets)
Imagine an army of “electronic eyes” scanning every corner of the planet from above, ready to spot potential threats in real time. We are not in the dystopian and despotic Orwellian world of 1984, but on this planet, in 2024.
The project's code name is Starshield. The goal: to provide US intelligence with unprecedented global coverage, capable of finding “potential targets almost anywhere on the globe”.
A fabric of spy satellites to know every corner
How exactly would this 007 space network work? The details are obviously top secret, but some rumors leak out from the investigation. Musk's spy satellites would operate in swarms, in low orbit, likely taking advantage of proven technology with Starlink, SpaceX's global internet satellite constellation.
In this specific case, instead of providing broadband connections, these “Starlinks with helmets” would be stuffed with sophisticated sensors for Earth observation. Very high resolution cameras, radars, electronic signal interceptors: a true hi-tech arsenal for spying on the world from space.
The private (and prying) eye of the Pentagon
Let's be clear: that the great powers use spy satellites (and perhaps orbital weapons) is certainly nothing new. For decades, the USA and Russia (and more recently China) have been spying on each other from Earth orbit, in a sort of "space cold war". The real novelty here is the role of a private company like SpaceX, which would effectively find itself managing strategic assets on behalf of the American government.
An outsourcing of national security that raises many doubts. Who will monitor the use of these spy satellites? What will be the guarantees for citizens' privacy? What if tomorrow Elon decides to turn his “little eyes” on business rivals or ex-wives? All questions that, at the moment, remain unanswered. Also because the NRO, interviewed by Reuters, took refuge behind a "no comment" which smacks of "top secret".
Spy satellites: the great Space Game 2.0
As you often read on these pages, we are on the threshold of one new era in the space race and in global geopolitical competition. With private actors who come alongside (or do they replace each other?) to the States in the game of orbital supremacy. A game in which the rules still seem to be written.
In this "Great Game of Space 2.0", Musk and his Big Tech partners will increasingly play the role of the "Lords of the cosmic rings".
With the advent of SpaceX-NRO "spy satellites 2.0", the boundary between public and private, between civil and military, between transparency and secrecy is becoming increasingly blurred. And we ordinary citizens risk ending up like the unwitting protagonists of the Truman Show, with our lives scrutinized and analyzed by invisible eyes.
Welcome to the era of SpaceX-branded global surveillance. Let's at least hope Elon doesn't spy on us while we're in the bathroom.
