Spacex starshield

Author: w | 2025-04-23

Four suspected SpaceX Starshield prototypes, the classified USA 320 to USA 323 launched on the Transporter 3; SpaceX Starshield; The network is being built by SpaceX's Starshield

Production Coordinator (Starshield) at SpaceX

To be the Starshield satellites manufactured by SpaceX with cooperation from Northrop Grumman. In a recent job listing for a software engineer working on the Starshield program, SpaceX noted the distinction between these satellites and the commercially available, Starlink:“Starshield leverages SpaceX’s Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.“The Starshield software team is building highly reliable in-space mesh networks, designing secure systems to guarantee access to space, designing next-gen communication and sensing software, and more.”A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) on the NROL-113 mission, carrying satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office’s proliferated architecture. These satellites are believed to be Starshield, which is manufactured by SpaceX in partnership with Northrop Grumman. Image: SpaceXDuring a media town hall meeting on Oct. 17 with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Troy Meink, the deputy director of the NRO, was asked about the NRO’s “partnership with Starlink and Starshield” in regard to “their envisioned role in the proliferated architecture.”Meink didn’t address the Starshield portion of the question, but did state that they don’t use Starlink.“The NRO, we really don’t have a direct role with Starlink,” Meink said. “The Air Force has a contract to provide commercial comm services, like they do with the rest of the commercial comm services, but the NRO itself does not procure anything direct from Starlink.“We don’t use commercial Starlink services other than maybe in some test environments, but we don’t have any direct procurement of Starlink services.”Scolese described the benefits of a proliferated architecture constellation during his Oct. 3 talk with CSIS. He said the frequency of launch and refreshing of the constellation Science /SpaceThe announcement of Starshield comes as the US military has conducted tests using Starlink.The announcement of Starshield comes as the US military has conducted tests using Starlink.Dec 7, 2022, 12:57 PM UTCImageJon Porter is a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.SpaceX has quietly announced a new government-focused service on its website — Starshield — which it says offers a “secured satellite network for government entities.” The page, which appeared on the SpaceX website earlier this week, says that while its satellite internet service Starlink is aimed at end users and businesses, “Starshield is designed for government use.” The announcement of Starshield follows work that SpaceX has already done with the US and other governments around the world. In August SpaceX signed a $2 million deal with the US Air Force to provide satellite internet access, and Starlink has also proved crucial to Ukrainian forces as they defend themselves against Russia’s invasion of the country (though the technology has not been without its issues). Just last month the Pentagon said it was testing Starlink connectivity in the Arctic in what’s seen as a potential way to offer connectivity to US troops, Bloomberg reported. SpaceX has already signed multi-million dollar contracts with the US governmentStarshield is advertised with three areas of focus: earth observation, communications, and “hosted payloads,” which CNBC notes would effectively allow governments to customize what its spacecraft can send into space. SpaceX says that Starlink already offers “end-to-end user data encryption” but that Starshield has additional security that can meet “the most demanding government requirements.” However, the exact capabilities and scope of the network were not detailed. Other claimed features include the use of an “inter-satellite laser communications terminal” which would allow SpaceX’s hardware to communicate with partner satellites and function as part of the same network. Although Starlink initially gained attention as a way for rural customers to get faster internet, recent announcements have highlighted larger-scale deployments like satellite internet for commercial planes. It’s this kind of scale that’s arguably going to be necessary if SpaceX wants to reach its previously reported goal of making over $30 billion from satellite internet connectivity by 2025.InstallerA weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe.

Pentagon embracing SpaceX’s Starshield for future

COMMUNICATION: A US representative said that Starshield is inactive in and around Taiwan, which could put US military personnel at risk in the Western Pacific in a conflict By Lu Yung-shan, Chen Li-chu and William Hetherington / Staff writers Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) might have contravened its Pentagon contract by not providing access to its satellite communication network Starshield in and around Taiwan, a letter from a US House of Representatives committee to the company said.In September last year, the US Department of Defense awarded SpaceX a one-year contract for Starshield access, worth US$100 million. A few months before that, the Pentagon also commissioned SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network to be used by Ukrainian forces amid Russia’s invasion.Starshield is a derivative of Starlink intended for military use. The Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) logo is displayed next to an image of its CEO Elon Musk in an illustration photograph taken on Dec. 19, 2022. Photo: Reuters SpaceX has long worked closely with the US military and intelligence agencies, which contract the company to launch government satellites used for the transmission of sensitive and classified information.US Representative Mike Gallagher, who is chairman of the US House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), wrote the letter to company founder Elon Musk following Gallagher’s three-day visit to Taiwan that concluded on Saturday. The letter was obtained by CNBC after Forbes magazine first reported on it.In the letter, the Republican representative said the company’s contract with the Pentagon requires the US military to have global access to the satellite network.“Multiple sources have disclosed to the committee that Starshield is inactive in and around Taiwan,” the CNBC report quoted the letter as saying, adding that it asks Musk to provide a briefing on the issue to the committee before Friday next week.“In the event of CCP military aggression against Taiwan, American servicemembers in the Western Pacific would be put at severe risk,” the letter said. “Ensuring robust communication networks for US military personnel on and around Taiwan is paramount for safeguarding US interests in the Indo-Pacific region.”Earlier this month, Ukraine’s top military intelligence official accused the company of providing the Russian military with Starlink services in occupied areas of Ukraine. Musk responded at the time that SpaceX would not sell Starlink terminal services to Russia.Musk has also referred to Taiwan as “an integral part of China”. Four suspected SpaceX Starshield prototypes, the classified USA 320 to USA 323 launched on the Transporter 3; SpaceX Starshield; The network is being built by SpaceX's Starshield

With Starshield, SpaceX readies for battle - SpaceNews

A soldier assigned to 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade connects a cable during the Vanguard Communications Advisor Course, Sept. 1, 2020 atJoint Base Lewis McChord, Washington. (Spc. Joseph E. D.Knoch/U.S. Army) The 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, or SFAB, is experimenting with Starshield, the military version of Starlink communications network made by SpaceX, said Col. Brandon Teague, commander of 5th SFAB.“We’ve done some testing with it at home station, and all of our systems worked flawlessly over the backbones that it provides,” Teague told reporters on Monday. SFABs are specialized units in which soldiers from the conventional forces train, advise, and assist foreign partners’ conventional military forces. Unlike Special Forces, soldiers in SFABs do not train foreign special operations forces, nor do they conduct unconventional warfare and other special operations missions.The 5th SFAB is focused on the Indo-Pacific region and it has a persistent presence in the Philippines, Thailand, Mongolia, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Teague said during the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference in Washington, D.C.Jane’s Defence Weekly first reported that the 5th SFAB would test Starshield.Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.Starshield is a more secure version than Starlink, which is meant for civilian use.The 5th SFAB is looking at whether it can use Starshield as a “redundant,” rather than a primary form of communication, Teague said.“We have satellite communications that are organic to the SFAB already. But this just provides us another means, should we need it, again, to have that redundant level of communication.”The 5th SFAB will experiment with four Starshield systems at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center in Hawaii at the end of October and then test them in the Indo-Pacific region, Teague said.Like Starlink, Starshield uses low Earth orbit satellites to create a communications network. That could be useful if an adversary jams U.S. military communication systems that rely on satellites in different orbits, Teague said.The Ukrainian military has heavily relied on Starlink, but Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, refused to let the Ukrainians use the network last year for a planned surprise attack on occupied Crimea. Members of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade train alongside Indian Army soldiers during the Yudh Abhyas exercise in Rajasthan, India, Feb. 9, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Joseph Tolliver/U.S. Army) Teague said he is not concerned that SpaceX might decide to turn off the 5th SFAB’s Starshield communications.“It’s paid for service and they’re paid to provide that service as long as we’re under contract with them,” Teague said.The Army currently has five active-duty SFABs and one National Guard unit. Army officials developed the SFAB concept during the Afghanistan War, and one of the first controversies involving SpaceX is set to launch a combination of the National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO) Starshield and its own Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 flight. This unique flight is part of the NRO’s plan to assess the viability of “rideshare” missions, where multiple payloads share a single launch, thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency.The Starshield satellite, also known as NROL-85, is a classified payload, and very little information is available about it. The NRO is a U.S. government agency responsible for designing, building, launching, and maintaining America’s intelligence satellites. It is known for being secretive about its payloads, and this mission is no different.On the other hand, the Starlink satellites are part of SpaceX’s ambitious project to create a satellite-based internet service. SpaceX has already launched numerous batches of Starlink satellites, and this flight further supplements the existing constellation.In this Falcon 9 flight, the Starshield and Starlink satellites will be launched together, marking a new milestone in spaceflight. The Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s workhorse vehicle, known for its reliability and reusability. It has successfully launched numerous payloads to space and has played a pivotal role in SpaceX’s achievements.The launch is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This is SpaceX’s second launch from Vandenberg this year, after the successful launch of the Transporter-1 mission in January.SpaceX has made great strides in advancing the concept of rideshare missions. The company’s SmallSat Rideshare Program offers a cost-effective way for small satellite operators to reach space. By sharing a ride with other payloads, satellite operators can significantly reduce their launch costs. This launch mission with NRO further solidifies SpaceX’s position in the rideshare marketplace.The collaboration between SpaceX and NRO for the launch signifies a growing relationship between commercial space companies and government agencies. This trend is expected to continue as the benefits of commercial spaceflight, such as cost savings, increased launch opportunities, and technological advancements, become more apparent.In conclusion, the upcoming Falcon 9 flight carrying the NRO Starshield and SpaceX’s Starlink satellites is a noteworthy event in the space industry. It not only signifies the growing acceptance of rideshare missions but also highlights the increasing collaboration between commercial and government entities in space exploration. The success of this mission could potentially pave the way for more such collaborations in the future.

What is SpaceX Starshield and Why is it Important?

Us there. We need artificial intelligence, machine learning, automated processes to help us do that.""We will deliver data in seconds, not minutes, and not hours," Zarybnisky said.The existence of this constellation was made public in March, when Reuters reported the NRO was working with SpaceX to develop and deploy a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit. SpaceX's Starshield business unit is building the satellites under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021, according to Reuters. This is remarkably inexpensive by the standards of the NRO, which has spent more money just constructing a satellite processing facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida (thanks to Eric Berger's reporting in Reentry for this juicy tidbit). Chris Scolese appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2019 during a confirmation hearing to become director of the National Reconnaissance Office. Chris Scolese appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2019 during a confirmation hearing to become director of the National Reconnaissance Office. Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call Reuters reported Northrop Grumman is supplying sensors to mount on at least some of the SpaceX-built satellites, but their design and capabilities remain classified. The NRO, which usually keeps its work secret, officially acknowledged the program in April, a month before the first batch of satellites launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.SpaceX revealed the existence of the Starshield division in 2022, the year after signing the NRO contract, as a vehicle for applying the company's experience manufacturing Starlink Internet satellites to support US national security missions. SpaceX has built and launched more than 7,200 Starlink satellites since 2019, with more than 6,000 currently operational, 10 times larger than any other existing satellite constellation. The current generation of Starlink satellites launch in batches of 20 to 23 spacecraft on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. They're flat-packed one on top of the other inside the Falcon 9's payload shroud, then released all at once in orbit. The NRO's new satellites likely use the same basic design, launching in groups of roughly 21 satellites on each mission.According to Scolese, the NRO owns these SpaceX-built satellites, rather than SpaceX owning them and

SpaceX selling ‘Starshield’ will be a gamechanger - We Are The

Elon Musk at SATELLITE 2020. Photo: Via SatelliteElon Musk will co-lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration, president-elect Donald Trump announced late Tuesday. According to Trump’s press statement, the Department of Government Efficiency will “provide advice and guidance from outside of government,” indicating that Musk will not hold an official government position. This role will likely raise concerns about conflicts of interest even if Musk does not hold an official government position. Government employees are prohibited from participating in official matters where they have a financial interest. Musk’s company SpaceX has billions of dollars in U.S. government contracts through launch services, NASA crew transport, Starlink internet service, and the Starshield government business. The administration’s announcement provided few details on what the Department of Government Efficiency will look like, but Trump’s statement said that it will “pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.” Musk will co-lead the department with Vivek Ramaswamy, with a timetable to conclude the work no later than July 4, 2026. Space industry analyst Chris Quilty told Via Satellite that as spaceflight is a heavily regulated industry, Elon and SpaceX could stand to benefit from deregulation under a Trump administration. Musk has been personally critical of the agencies that regulate SpaceX, both the FCC and Federal Aviation Administration. SpaceX has criticized decisions by the regulatory agencies as well, particularly the FCC revoking nearly $1 billion in funding for Starlink as. Four suspected SpaceX Starshield prototypes, the classified USA 320 to USA 323 launched on the Transporter 3; SpaceX Starshield; The network is being built by SpaceX's Starshield

SpaceX's Starshield offers satellite internet to the

The Falcon 9 at sunrise Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 as final preparations were made for the NROL-167 mission. Image: SpaceX.SpaceX launch its fourth mission of the year for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) carrying satellites for its so-called “proliferated architecture,” which are believed to be Starshield satellites.The mission, dubbed NROL-167, added an unspecified number of satellites to the growing constellation. Liftoff happened at 10:13 a.m. PDT (1:13 p.m. EDT, 1713 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.The Thursday morning flight marked the 100th Falcon 9 launch for SpaceX in 2024. This number includes the launch failure during the Starlink 9-3 mission in July when an upper stage issue caused SpaceX to fail in placing the satellites into their intended orbit.The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1063 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 21st time. It previously supported two national security missions (NROL-113 and SDA-0B), NASA’s DART mission and 14 Starlink flights.A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the booster touched down on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ This was the 105th booster landing for OCISLY and the 358th overall booster landing.The mission patch for the NROL-167 mission as designed by the National Reconnaissance Office. Graphic: NROA proliferated architectureGiven the nature of the NRO, the agency has been reticent about disclosing many details on its proliferated architecture constellation. In a press kit published prior to the fourth launch supporting this mission, the intelligence agency note that including the NROL-167 mission, “Approximately nine additional launches supporting NRO’s proliferated architecture are planned for 2024, with additional launches expected through 2028.”“The NRO’s proliferated system will increase timeliness of access, diversify communications pathways, and enhance resilience. It will provide greater revisit rates and increased coverage, and eliminate single