SpaceX is deepening its ties with U.S. intelligence and military agencies, winning at least one major classified contract and expanding a secretive company satellite program called Starshield for national-security customers. SpaceX’s work for U.S. defense clients has long included blasting off classified and military satellites. The Pentagon has more recently done business with SpaceX’s Starlink broadband service, including agreements to pay for Ukrainian internet links during Ukraine’s war with Russia. Less is known about SpaceX’s Starshield unit, which is tailored for government clients and counts a former Air Force general among its leaders. Since the war’s earliest days, the company’s Starlink satellite network has supported communications for Ukrainian civil society and troops.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 20, 2024 12:23 UTC