Dear SpaceX,

I am writing this to you as a 17 year old that loves space. I’m reaching out in concern of the Starshield project and what it could mean for future space development. Starshield is being planned to act as a spy satellite constellation, the low Earth-orbit system allows data quicker relayed between two points.

While I agree a spy satellite system like Starshield could be of use for government data and security, the continuous monitoring of ground activities anywhere on the globe could result in more than aiding the military. Reuters, with five exclusive sources familiar with the project, reveals that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, is getting involved with government agencies even after his tension with the Biden administration. One of these five private sources stated “No one can hide” while talking about the system’s networking reach.

Due to “space-race” and government interest, advanced spy satellites like Starshield may prompt other nations to create similar devices, or even anti-satellite tools. The Pentagon has released that Russia has already threatened space weapons, weapons that would have the power to disable entire satellite networks. Another thing The Pentagon has released was a request for comment that you and the NRO (National Reconnaisse Office) both ignored. 

The idea of a relatively classified contract worth $1.8 billion, that neither you or NRO will reveal the intentions or purpose of, is a bit worrisome.  As Reuters has stated, several sources made comments on the capabilities of the program, saying that if the program were successful it would advance the U.S. government and military to quickly locate targets nearly anywhere on Earth. This heavily implies that all of the imaging will be used by the government solely for taking out threats and targets, but who decides who the threat is? Any government with the ability to target anyone using quick response, low Earth orbiting satellites could easily abuse such power.

The power Starshield brings to the government could easily go south if it isn’t handled carefully. The spy satellite constellation puts both ground and space warfare on the table, the risk of war is high, and the power it holds is too much. As the leading space company in the world, you have an obligation to keep space peaceful. Starshield is not the way to lead the world into space development: It is aggressive and invasive. You need to hold your projects to higher standards so the world follows in suit. After all is said and done, Starshield may be extremely helpful, but that comes with a cost, and such a cost would be detrimental to the country and to space. 

Sincerely, Casper Scheese