US spy satellites built by SpaceX send signals in the “wrong direction”

It seems US didn't coordinate Starshield's unusual spectrum use with other countries.

See full article...

 

[graylshaped]

The author did a good job giving us the background and in exploring the implications of this. The two primary thoughts that struck me are that if an amateur home brewer observed this obvious activity, it is highly probable national states who explicitly seek out and monitor what clandestine spy satellites do are well aware of it.

Second, what the satellites are doing today is (also highly probable) to be of less importance than what they may be capable of doing under contingent circumstances.

 

[graylshaped]

My first thought would be clandestine comms. A terminal operating outside the standard frequencies wouldn't necessarily be picked up by systems looking for Starlink traffic.

I don't believe anyone thinks these are Starlink satellites doing Starlink business.

 

[graylshaped]

But the majority of communications would still be in standard Starlink frequencies using standard protocols. The terminals and satellites being repurposed Starlink gear are going to operate more or less the same as Starlink - most of the time. Having some terminals that operate in random bands and mostly transmit straight up would make them harder to track than the standard off the shelf Starlink gear.

So? These are not Starlink satellites.

 

[graylshaped]

To be fair though, Tilley strikes me as somebody with a lot more expertise and investment than just an 'amateur home brewer'. Like, widespread deployment of Starshield began in 2023? 2024? So far, the only "public" response to this has originated with him.

Discussions of ethics of disclosure aside, if this really was causing issues, you would figure somebody actively using the spectrum outside the U.S. would have screamed by now.

Oh, no question, and amateur astronomers--as a quasi-related expertise--have made extraordinary contributions. That being said, space is infinite; satellite launches not so much and governments do tend to pay attention to them, and people both within and without the US would have absolutely squawked had opportunity presented itself.

 

[graylshaped]

You know MIC stands for military-industrial complex, don't you? It is extremely difficult in the USA - and some other developed countries - to know where commercial industry and the military begin and end?

Oh, puhleeze leave off with that crap. There has never in all of human history ever been an economy or society of any type not touched by military considerations.

 

[graylshaped]

So I didn't need to read the rest of the article given this. This isn't SpaceX doing something wrong this is the NRO saying "go ahead" to SpaceX. I didn't bother reading the article further. It's obvious this is another anti-SpaceX Jon Brodkin special with a lot of text padding to mean nothing.

There is a bias here, and discerning minds see it isn't Mr. Brodkin's.