Elon Musk tweeted on Friday, according to a Reuters report, that SpaceX's Starshield unit is actively developing several spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Under a $1.8 billion contract inked in 2021 between SpaceX and the NRO, the said spy birds are being developed by the Starshield branch of SpaceX.

It's a clear sign of the heights to which SpaceX is reaching in its work for American intelligence and the military, especially regarding the establishment of large satellite constellations that orbit relatively close to Earth to deliver on-the-ground troop support.

A successful follow-through on the program would expand the U.S. military's ability to quickly seek potential threats around the world. The move will also signal an increasing trust by the intelligence community in SpaceX, given previous frictions between its owner and the Biden administration, such as the controversies regarding Starlink satellite use during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Earlier in February, the existence of a classified $1.8 billion contract with Starshield and an unnamed intelligence agency surfaced in The Wall Street Journal, with no other details. The SpaceX contract was listed as one that will build a new kind of spy system with hundreds of oversized satellites carrying Earth imaging systems that will function en masse in low orbits. The NRO was the agency responsible for the NRO collaboration with Musk's company.

Furthermore, the precise timing of the deployment of these new satellites remains uncertain. On the other hand, information on other companies under the program and with their respective contracts in place is yet to be disclosed.

Requests for comment regarding the contract, the SpaceX role, and details of satellite launch platoons from the world's largest satellite operator or the Pentagon went for naught. An NRO spokesperson told Reuters, "Only the most capable, most diverse, and most resilient space-based INS fall under the stewardship of the National Reconnaissance Office—one that the world has ever seen."