SpaceX on Wednesday launched the first batch of operational spy satellites it has built as part of a new U.S. intelligence network designed to expand the country’s space surveillance capabilities.

The spy network was exposed by Reuters earlier this year in reports that revealed that that SpaceX is building hundreds of satellites for the US National Reconnaissance Office, the intelligence agency, for a vast orbital system capable of quickly detecting ground targets almost anywhere in the world.

Northrop Grumman, a space and defense contractor, is also involved in the project.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California.

Armies and intelligence agencies around the world are increasingly relying on satellites in Earth orbit to assist operations on Earth.

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NRO’s satellite network also shows the extent to which the US government has come to rely on Elon Musk’s SpaceX for some of its most important missions.

The company dominated the U.S. rocket launch market and became the world’s largest satellite operator with its Starlink network, a commercial system of thousands of broadband Internet satellites.