Private satellite companies spying for the US

One of America’s biggest intelligence agencies has recruited three commercial satellite companies to join operations to spy on Russian military activities in Ukraine. In a multi-billion dollar deal, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which has at least 50 of its own intelligence-gathering satellites, has teamed up with companies that have already been leading the field in exposing Russian actions in Ukraine including plundering of the country’s vital grain exports. Images from NRO and commercial satellites over Ukraine have played a crucial role in helping Kyiv plot counter-attacks against Russian troops and armour, and revealing to the world every action taken by Moscow’s invasion force since February 24. Maxar Technologies, one of the companies awarded a ten-year contract by the NRO worth $3.24 billion, produced satellite images this week which showed two Russian-flagged cargo ships loading up with plundered Ukrainian grain at the port of Sevastopol in Crimea. The ships, Matros Pozynich and Matros Koshka, were caught docked next to grain silos and filling their holds with the stolen crop before leaving the port. The two other US companies contracted by the NRO are BlackSky, based in Herndon, Virginia, and Planet in San Francisco. Images produced by Maxar Technologies, based in Westminster, Colorado, helped track the build-up of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine prior to the invasion on February 24 and have recently revealed the Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region. All three companies operate fleets of satellites orbiting the Earth and have played an increasingly influential role in detecting Russian missile positions and troop movements, and the Pentagon and the NRO have relied on the commercial images as much as their own satellite assets. The commercial satellites are smaller and cheaper.The contract with the US spy agency underlines the way private companies and their success in exploiting the revolution in new technology have become a vital asset for the Pentagon. “The NRO has a longstanding strategy of buy what we can, build what we must,” Chris Scolese, NRO director, said.