US military gives SpaceX access to restricted space-object tracking data

The US military gave SpaceX access to restricted space-object tracking data under a new contract with the Space Force, an arrangement that confirms the formal agreement behind the data sharing.

The agreement opens the High Accuracy Catalog of US Space Command to a commercial company for the first time, marking the first instance of the Space Force granting enhanced catalog access to a non-government entity. The catalog is US Space Command’s most detailed secure catalog, and SpaceX receives Vector Covariance Messages built from military sensor, telescope and radar tracking data. Those messages cover objects as small as 10cm (3.93in), drawing on sensor, telescope and radar tracking data from military assets. The military keeps Vector Covariance Messages as controlled unclassified information held closely because disclosure could reveal limits of defense capabilities, explaining why the military has restricted this data historically.

Observers say the defense department sought to block reverse engineering of satellite sensors used to monitor other nations’ defense satellites, another reason for restricting access to the data that protects sensitive collection capabilities. Starlink’s own Stargaze system can detect objects only down to about half a meter and is less accurate than the military system, highlighting the capability gap between Stargaze and military tracking for smaller orbital objects. A SpaceX employee at an industry conference told Breaking Defense that military radar data is a valuable tool to supplement Stargaze, offering industry perspective on the value of the military data to the company’s own sensors. Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, operates about 11,000 satellites in orbit, and the constellation could have as many as 20,000 satellites in coming years, describing the scale of Starlink’s constellation and its growing presence in low Earth orbit.

The constellation tracks space objects through Stargaze, a system of thousands of cameras and radars hosted on Starlink satellites, describing Starlink’s own tracking system and its distributed sensor network. Cole Donovan, a former Traccs employee now with Stand Up for Science, said the government receives access to Stargaze cameras and sensors in exchange for the data, describing the quid pro quo in the data-sharing arrangement that trades military catalog access for commercial sensor access. The access gives SpaceX’s companies an advantage over competitors offering similar collision-avoidance services, highlighting the competitive implications of the data share for the broader space industry. Donovan said SpaceX is becoming the de facto source for US space traffic coordination, a key industry observer’s assessment of the implications of concentrating traffic authority in one company.

Traccs tracks thousands of satellites, debris and spacecraft and helps prevent up to 50,000 close approaches called conjunctions each day, showing the scale of the program’s role in a crowded orbital environment. Donovan said privatizing Traccs and consolidating power with a Trump ally matches the administration’s broader governance approach, linking the SpaceX move to a broader governance pattern of relying on private-sector providers. In 2025, Musk’s Doge fired many staff members of the federal government’s nascent space traffic control program, providing background on the administration’s prior actions regarding Traccs and its workforce.

The administration twice attempted to financially gut Traccs, describing repeated efforts to reduce funding for the space traffic control program through budget proposals that would have stripped its resources. Industry widely viewed the funding cuts as Musk’s attempt to privatize space traffic control, capturing industry perception of the administration’s motive behind the reductions. Multiple industry observers have feared a vendor lock scenario since the Trump administration took over, leaving the government overly reliant on SpaceX, describing concerns about government overreliance on one company for critical space services. In fiscal year 2026 the administration tried to largely defund the $65m Traccs program, but Congress restored the funding, detailing the budget battle over Traccs in FY2026 as lawmakers pushed back against the cuts.

The administration proposed cutting the Traccs budget to nearly zero in fiscal year 2027, but the House reinserted the funding, detailing the budget battle over Traccs in FY2027 as the program survived another round of proposed cuts. Several commercial space company employees told the Guardian since early 2025 that industry widely supports Traccs because it would level the playing field, indicating industry support for a neutral traffic control system among competing launch and satellite operators. The administration, Congress and industry are debating Traccs’ next steps as the military makes its latest move, noting the current policy crossroads for Traccs and its future governance. Craig Holman of Public Citizen said the Trump administration is rewarding a donor with federal business opportunities through the data access, raising the donor-policy debate concern about political influence on contracting.

Holman said Elon Musk bought favor with President Trump, gaining unlimited riches and lucrative space industry government contracts, characterizing Musk’s relationship with the administration as a transactional exchange of political support for government business. Holman said Musk’s political investment is paying off handsomely as intended, continuing Holman’s critique of the alignment between the donor and the administration.

An anonymous former NOAA official said SpaceX has responded well to space safety concerns, offering a counterbalancing perspective on SpaceX’s conduct amid criticism of its growing role. The same official said they do not fault Starlink for filling a space governance gap the government failed to address, stating the official’s view on why SpaceX stepped in where public agencies had not acted. The former NOAA official expressed disappointment that the government has not established a coherent space governance framework with guidance, transparency and a level playing field. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield restrictions stop Ukraine from using certain drones to intercept Russian attacks, providing context on prior SpaceX-government ties and military dependence on Starlink during wartime.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine cannot use Starlink or Starshield on its territory to shoot down jet-powered Shahed drones, detailing specific operational impact of the Starlink restrictions on Ukrainian air defense operations. Zelenskyy said he was told the restrictions were technical issues even though the systems worked normally across the European Union, noting the discrepancy between the stated reason and observed performance of the satellite services. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry tried to contact SpaceX about the problem without success, illustrating communication breakdown with SpaceX during an active conflict. Zelenskyy said nobody at SpaceX is answering Ukraine’s military, adding further detail on the lack of response from SpaceX to Ukrainian requests.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Starshield is unavailable to Ukraine, stating the US government position on Starshield availability amid the dispute over satellite access. Rubio said the US government is not responsible for the Starlink service outage in Ukraine, delivering Rubio’s denial of US government responsibility for the degraded service. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk personally ordered a slowdown of military-grade Starlink service on Oct. 14. The slowdown limited speeds at which Ukrainian drones could maintain a satellite connection, describing the technical effect of the ordered slowdown on drone command and control.

The restrictions disrupted Ukrainian offensive drone operations and efforts to intercept Russian attacks, outlining operational consequences of the restrictions for Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities. Musk claimed the US military and ultimately the president determined Starlink speed and usage restrictions, offering Musk’s explanation for the restrictions that placed responsibility with US officials. Trump said he did not know who was responsible for the Starlink slowdown, giving Trump’s response to questions about responsibility for the service reductions. Rubio said he is not sure Zelenskyy knows what he is talking about, providing Rubio’s dismissive comment on Zelenskyy’s statements about the Starlink restrictions.