SpaceX spy satellite network deal is a major step toward ‘space militarization,’ and poses new threat to global security, says a report in the Chinese state-run Global Times on Sunday.
This follows an exclusive Reuter’s report citing sources which said Elon Musk’s SpaceX is building spy satellite network for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that manages spy satellites, under a 2021 deal.
“The reason the NRO chose SpaceX was mainly due to the company’s advantage in the number of small satellites it has in orbit, which allows for maximum coverage of more orbital levels,” Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert and media commentator, told the Global Times.
“The large number of satellites can enable the monitoring of a certain area without any blind spots, not only in coverage but also in time duration, thereby creating an all-encompassing spy network above the heads of all countries around the world,” the article quoted Wei as saying.
A special business unit under SpaceX, Starshield, is undertaking the project, the sources revealed, and if successful, it would significantly advance the US military’s ability to quickly spot potential targets “almost anywhere on the globe,” the article said, adding that “Prior to this program, the Pentagon was already a big customer of SpaceX, using its Falcon 9 rockets to launch a dozen military payloads into space.”
“This move is very dangerous,” Wei told the Global Times, as once space becomes another arena for arms race, the company’s assets could be in jeopardy. In addition, if this spy satellite network gets involved in a US-instigated “space war” and thus poses threats to other countries, SpaceX may become a target for retaliation or counterbalance, he said.
The article then quoted Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, as saying that countries and regions will definitely take countermeasures once the network become operational, such as by moving facilities underground or using optical camouflage for concealment. As a result, obtaining sensitive information would still not be “a piece of cake” for US intelligence agencies, Wang told the Global Times.
However, “The US’ extensive intelligence reconnaissance of countries or regions of interest will inevitably make some hot-button issues more sensitive or even escalate, and it will also make already complex international relationships more difficult to handle,” Wang said, adding: “While the US incessantly hypes China’s “growing threat” in space and advocates for “demilitarization,” it has not stopped building up its military capabilities in the field, with the true aim of achieving a dominant position in space technology to support its superiority.”
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