SpaceX's Starshield unit is developing a satellite network under a $1.8 billion contract with the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), according to five sources familiar with the matter.
In response to the news, the Chinese military’s Weibo social media account said on March 17 that the SpaceX program exposed the US’ “double standards.” Beijing reiterated Washington’s previous accusations that Chinese tech companies were threatening US security. The account has 1.1 million followers.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carried SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts to the International Space Station in early March
"We urge US companies not to help bad guys do evil [...] All countries in the world should stay alert and guard against new and even greater security threats created by the US government," according to the Weibo post.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, a Chinese Communist Party magazine, said in an interview that the SpaceX satellite project posed a “challenge to global security and stability.”
"The US's high-level intelligence surveillance will inevitably make some hot issues more sensitive or even escalate," Wang told The Global Times on March 17.
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In response to the Reuters report, the NRO acknowledged its mission to develop space-based surveillance systems, but declined to comment on the extent of SpaceX’s involvement. Musk’s company also declined to comment on its contract with the NRO.
SpaceX, NRO and the Pentagon have not commented on China's response.
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