The first batch of this new classified constellation should enter low-earth orbit in May

第一批新分类星座将于五月进入近地轨道

Space surveillance: SpaceX has never had a particularly friendly relationship with traditional defense contractors and manufacturers. However, the company is allegedly ready to send a fleet of secret US spy satellites into low-earth orbit.

太空监视：SpaceX 从未与传统国防承包商和制造商建立过特别友好的关系。然而，据称该公司已准备好将一批美国秘密间谍卫星送入近地轨道。

Unnamed sources told Reuters that SpaceX is working with aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman to develop a highly advanced network of spy satellites. The devices are almost ready to launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The US government will likely use them to acquire high-resolution imagery of Earth's surface.

不愿透露姓名的消息人士告诉路透社，SpaceX 正在与航空航天和国防承包商诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司合作开发高度先进的间谍卫星网络。这些设备几乎已准备好搭载猎鹰 9 号火箭发射。美国政府可能会使用它们来获取地球表面的高分辨率图像。

The constellation of "hundreds" of spy satellites is part of a $1.8 billion contract between SpaceX and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the US defense agency that operates US reconnaissance satellites. Northrop Grumman, one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military tech providers, is contributing specific surveillance solutions like a series of sensors for a subset of the spy satellites.

由“数百颗”间谍卫星组成的星座是 SpaceX 与国家侦察办公室（NRO）（运营美国侦察卫星的美国国防机构）之间价值 18 亿美元的合同的一部分。诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司是世界上最大的武器制造商和军事技术提供商之一，正在提供特定的监视解决方案，例如用于间谍卫星子集的一系列传感器。

One of the sources said that it's in the "government's interest" to avoid investing too much in a single company "run by one person," an explanation providing an almost perfect definition of how SpaceX operates. Northrop Grumman will install its tech in at least 50 of the satellites. Other contractors are working on additional components, with SpaceX coordinating the efforts.

其中一位消息人士表示，避免对“由一个人经营”的一家公司进行过多投资符合“政府利益”，这一解释为 SpaceX 的运营方式提供了近乎完美的定义。诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司将在至少 50 颗卫星上安装其技术。其他承包商正在开发更多组件，SpaceX 负责协调这些工作。

SpaceX is not unfamiliar with satellite swarms. It put thousands of satellites up for the Starlink internet service. The NRO is interested in exploiting the company's tried ability to launch "megaconstellations" through their existing manufacturing facilities and the reusable Falcon 9 carrier. The new satellites are a "proliferated" network of swarms of individual surveillance devices less vulnerable to a large-scale (albeit still theoretical) attack by enemy entities.

SpaceX 对卫星群并不陌生。它为星链互联网服务放置了数千颗卫星。 NRO 有兴趣利用该公司尝试过的能力，通过其现有的制造设施和可重复使用的猎鹰 9 号运载火箭发射“巨型星座”。新卫星是一个由大量个体监视设备组成的“扩散”网络，不易受到敌方实体大规模（尽管仍然是理论上的）攻击的影响。

The new satellites have exceptionally high-quality image sensors, with a resolution that exceeds the capabilities of some of the best spy satellites currently employed by the US. The military could theoretically use them as an alternative to drones and reconnaissance aircraft for surveillance tasks without the risk of violating foreign airspace.

这些新卫星拥有极高品质的图像传感器，其分辨率超过了美国目前使用的一些最好的间谍卫星的能力。理论上，军方可以使用它们作为无人机和侦察机的替代品来执行监视任务，而不会侵犯外国领空。

The insiders said the first elements of the new spy network will launch next month from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The NRO's principal deputy director, Troy Meink, confirmed the launch, stating it will be just the first of six identical operations slated for 2024 alone.

内部人士表示，新间谍网络的第一部分将于下个月从加利福尼亚州范登堡太空部队基地发射。 NRO 首席副主任 Troy Meink 证实了此次发射，并表示这只是计划于 2024 年进行的六次相同行动中的第一个。