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Politics of Satellites The U.S government has several intelligence community agencies. The National Reconnaissance Office is one agency that deals with satellites and surveillance. The NRO monitors with their satellites weapons from possible threats, which include warning the military of missile launches, and they can also asses damage done during war or bombing. The NRO satellites also monitor areas that have been devastated by natural causes. The NRO recently released information regarding their nineteen-year history of its earliest satellites system, the POPPY system. Click here to read it. According to Information Weekly, "The report describes the history of the project from its concept in 1958 through its termination in 1977." With the growth of technological advancement in the civilian world, there are now commercial companies that can compete with the government in satellite surveillance. According to the New York Times, "American commercial satellite companies now produce images of higher resolution than they are permitted to sell publicly, and their only customers are United States government agencies or foreign governments, with American approval. Commercial satellites can show, for example, an image of a specific vehicle type or spare tire on a truck..." The government spends a lot of money on satellite imagery from the commercial sector. According to the New York Times, "The Obama administration has proposed cutting the contracts for commercial satellite imagery in half next year — to about $250 million from $540 million." |
