They aren't just the future.  They are already being widely used.  We're a bit behind if we have been relying on other people's satellites up to now.

In the run up to the war in Ukraine, the USA were giving regular updates to the World, describing exactly what the Russians were doing.

They aren't just the future.  They are already being widely used.  We're a bit behind if we have been relying on other people's satellites up to now.

In the run up to the war in Ukraine, the USA were giving regular updates to the World, describing exactly what the Russians were doing.

In fact since around 1962 (so conveniently we could say a 60th anniversary to make it a news story): "From 1962 to 1972, several versions of the KH-4 satellite were developed..." https://www.spacelegalissues.com/the-history-of-spy-satellites/

Simon Barker said:

We're a bit behind if we have been relying on other people's satellites up to now.

Or, just to look at it the other way, we've been sensible and not cluttered up the atmosphere with more space junk (and related CO2 emissions) when there's perfectly good satellites up there already!

Ok, as my wife keeps telling me, I know I "should" be supporting the Cornish economy, using corner shops, buying free range eggs from local farmers, only gaining intelligence on counter insurgents from satellites launched from local spaceports - and indeed presumably tracked from our local Cornish tracking station...oh no, I'm now imagining a conspiracy connected to Mebyon Kernow taking control of spy satellites to finally achieve Cornish Independence!

Sorry, drifted off topic again...

Andy Millar said:

our local Cornish tracking station

Actually that prompted me to look up the history of GCHQ Bude https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCHQ_Bude which became active in 1969, so presumably likely to be the point at which we tried intercepting other countries spy satellites? (As well as receiving from our own.)  I hadn't realised that it was a joint US/UK development at the time.