User:J.pshine5t/Starshield and military use of Starlink

https://chrisprophet.substack.com/p/starshield-spacexs-dark-horse

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-satellite-constellation-construction-interest-us-military/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qQ76Fp1Os&ab_channel=TheAerospaceCorporation

The Aerospace Corp launch Slingshot-1, a satellite designed to test modular payloads, laser communications and their “Starshield onboard malware detection software.”

https://spacenews.com/spacex-rolls-out-new-business-line-focused-on-military-satellite-services/

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/27/spacex-wins-first-pentagon-contract-for-starshield.html

Starlink, the extensive satellite communication network operated by the American aerospace firm SpaceX, garnered military attention and found application in Ukraine. Ukraine has used Starlink for military purposes in the Russo-Ukrainian war. To separate Starlink commercial satellite operations from military usage, SpaceX agreed with the US Department of Defense to create Starshield, a military divison of Starlink specialized for military purposes.

Starshield
In December 2022, SpaceX announced Starshield, a program to incorporate military or government entity payloads on board a customized satellite bus (potentially based on Starlink Block v1.5 and v2.0 technology ). These satellites are heavier, with twice the area as a single Starlink v1.5 and have two pair of solar arrays as opposed to one on Starlink Block v1.5. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for US government use, with an initial focus on three areas, namely, earth observation, communications and hosting payloads.

Designed to meet diverse mission requirements, Starshield satellites are advertised as capable of integrating a wide variety of payloads, offering unique versatility to users. Starshield satellites will be compatible with, and interconnect to, the existing commercial Starlink satellites via optical inter-satellite links.

In January 2022, SpaceX deployed four national security satellites for the US government on their Transporter-3 rideshare mission. In the same year they launched another group of four U.S. satellites with a single on-orbit spare Globalstar FM-15 satellite in June. Their purpose was not disclosed at the time of launch, but was considered likely either technical demonstration, communications, earth observation or signals intelligence.

It is suspected as per the images, that the two SpaceX-built Starlink derived Space Development Agency Tranche 0 Flight 1 Tracking Layer infrared imaging satellites launched on 2 April 2023 are also based on the Starshield satellite bus.

In September 2023, the Starshield program received its first contract from the US Space Force to provide customized satellite communications for the military. This is under the Space Force’s new "Proliferated Low Earth Orbit" contracts program for LEO satellites.

History
In late 2022 SpaceX had already begun discussions with the Pentagon to fund Starlink for Ukraine. These arrangements with government agencies led to the creation of Starshield. This separate Starlink service is specially destined for government entities and military agencies, solving SpaceX's issues with using the Starlink civilian network as a weapon in Ukraine. Starshield enables the DoD to own or lease Starshield satellites for partners and allies. Starshield will also have the usual requirements for mobile military systems like encryptions and anti-jam capabilities for which Starlink was not necessarily adapted for in the Ukraine war.

A contractual arrangement with SpaceX for Starlink in Ukraine, as well as Starshield, a separate military-focused version of Starlink, seem to have been the solutions chosen by the DoD and SpaceX against the restrictions.

Senior defense officials at the Pentagon tried to solution the problem in several meetings but were not used to have no leverage on a private entity. The Pentagon saw the solution in a contractual arrangement with SpaceX as the company would not be able to cease Starlink services in Ukraine on their own decision.

In June 2023, the Department of Defense officialized the contract with Shotwell's SpaceX to buy Starlink satellite services for Ukraine. The deal includes the Pentagon buying 400-500 Starlink terminals for Ukraine, giving the Pentagon control of where Starlink works inside the country without fear of interruption. The terms of services of the final contract were undisclosed for security issues. Following the contract, The Pentagon stated Starlink was a "vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network" amidst "a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities they need."

Starlink legal documents claim it is not for use in weaponry as a military use of Starlink brings it under US export control laws like the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

Military satellites
SpaceX also designs, builds, and launches customized military satellites based on variants of the Starlink satellite bus, with the largest publicly known customer being the Space Development Agency (SDA).

In 2018 the SDA was formed as part of a Trump Administration effort to resurrect the Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). SDA accelerates development of missile defense capabilities using industry-procured low-cost low Earth orbit satellite platforms. The program was conceived and instituted by Under Secretary of Defense (R&E) Michael D. Griffin (who had decades earlier joined Musk on his trip to Russia to examine ICBMs as part of SpaceX's founding). A few months after Space Development Agency was announced, SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell was asked by the United States Air Force, given the nature of the program, whether SpaceX would launch weapons into space for the US military. She affirmed "we would if it's for the defense of this country."

In October 2020, SDA awarded SpaceX an initial $150 million dual-use contract to develop 4 satellites to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The first batch of satellites were originally scheduled to launch September 2022 to form part of the Tracking Layer Tranche 0 of the Space Force's National Defense Space Architecture. The launch schedule slipped multiple times but eventually launched in April 2023.

The NDSA will be composed of seven layers with specific functions: data transport, battle management, missile tracking, custody/weapons targeting, satellite navigation, deterrence, and ground support. Historically, space-based missile defense concepts were expensive, but reusable launch systems have mitigated costs according to a 2019 Congressional Budget Office analysis. NSDA leverages existing commercial satellite bus development such as Starlink to reduce costs, including free-space optical laser terminals for a secure command and control mesh network. The 2019 Missile Defense Review notes space-based sensing enables "improved tracking and potentially targeting of advanced threats, including HGVs and hypersonic cruise missiles". However, the Union of Concerned Scientists warns developments could escalate tensions with Russia and China and called the project "fundamentally destabilizing". The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace later advocated for a treaty halting development to prevent an arms race in space.

Since 2021, Starlink's military satellite development is overseen internally at SpaceX by retired four-star general Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy. O'Shaughnessy advocated before the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services for a layered capability with lethal follow-on that incorporates machine learning and artificial intelligence to gather and act upon sensor data quickly.

SpaceX was not awarded a contract for the larger Tranche 1, with awards going to York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin Space, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems.

Military communications
In 2019, tests by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) demonstrated a 610 Mbit/s data link through Starlink to a Beechcraft C-12 Huron aircraft in flight. Additionally, in late 2019, the United States Air Force successfully tested a connection with Starlink on an AC-130 Gunship.

In 2020, the Air Force utilized Starlink in support of its Advanced Battlefield management system during a live-fire exercise. They demonstrated Starlink connected to a "variety of air and terrestrial assets" including the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.

Expert on battlefield communications Thomas Wellington argues that Starlink signals, because they use narrow focused beams, are less vulnerable to interference and jamming by the enemy in wartime than satellites flying in higher orbits.

Russo-Ukrainian War


Starlink was activated at first during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after a request from the Ukrainian government. Ukraine's military and government rapidly became dependent on Starlink to maintain Internet access. Starlink is used by Ukraine for communication, such as keeping in touch with outside world and keeping the energy infrastructure working.

The service is also notably used for warfare. Starlink is used for connecting combat drones, naval drones, artillery fire coordination systems and attacks on Russian positions. SpaceX has expressed reservations about the offensive use of Starlink by Ukraine beyond military communications and restricted Starlink communication technology for military use on weapon systems. SpaceX however kept most of the service online. Its use in attacking Russian targets has been criticized by the Kremlin.

Musk has warned that the service was costing $20 million per month, and a Ukrainian official estimated SpaceX's contributions as over $100 million. In June 2023, the DoD signed a contract with SpaceX to finance Starlink use in Ukraine.

International reactions
The intervention of Starlink in the Ukrainian War against Russian forces has put the satellite service at risk of not being allowed in the Russian market in the future. The Russian military does not have access to a Starlink-like equivalent, giving the Ukrainian military an advantage. Russia has warned that Western commercial satellites used to help Ukraine could become a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike, describing such use of these satellites as "provocative".

Russia has tried to cut off and jam internet services in Ukraine, including attempts to block Starlink in the region. Russian cyberattacks against Starlink appear to have been ineffective compared to other satellite services. Reasons advanced include SpaceX's speed of response and Starlink engineers' ability to defeat Russian jamming.

In August 2023, during Ukraine's counteroffensive, a Five Eyes report found that Russian hackers planted malwares designed to steal data to Starlink from the Android tablets of Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian Security Services said to have blocked some of the hacking attempts and conceded Russians had captured tablets on the battlefield and planted malwares on them. Also in May 2022, Chinese military researchers published an article in a peer-reviewed journal describing a strategy for destroying the Starlink constellation if they threaten national security. The researchers specifically highlight concerns with reported Starlink military capabilities.