Not true. The “andromeda strain” was a microorganism collected in space by a research probe that crashed back to earth in a rural area. The rustics found it, pried it open and released the deadly pathogen. Crichton was a great writer and insightful. He definitely was not woke. He avidly disparaged and mocked the global warming lunatics. If he wrote the story today, he would have the elites secretly funding, collecting the pathogen and then release it on the American population.
It was, indeed, called "Project Scoop," and its purpose was to collect microorganisms from Outer Space.
But at least in the film, it was a micrometeorite carrying the alien pathogen that penetrated the satellite - that is, the "Wildfire" scientists at least initially regard it as a fleck of paint and/or micrometeorite - it might have been the pathogen, itself.
Sorry that I can't be more specific - it's been literally weeks since I last watched this great film.
Regards,