The US Space Force has given SpaceX “enhanced” access to the most detailed version of US Space Command’s High Accuracy Catalog of objects in orbit, the Guardian reports. It’s the first time a commercial company has received this level of access.
What SpaceX gets, and what it gives
The data includes Vector Covariance Messages built from military ground-based sensors, telescopes and radars that track satellites and debris in low Earth orbit down to about 10 cm in size. That data is designated controlled unclassified information.
It complements SpaceX’s own Stargaze system, which uses cameras and sensors on Starlink satellites but can only see objects down to about half a meter and is less accurate than the military’s system. In return, the government gets access to Stargaze observations. A Space Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense the service is “engaging with several companies to exchange commercial data sources” for access to parts of the catalog “where it provides benefit to the US government.”
The debate
The move comes at a crossroads for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), the civil program meant to take over commercial space traffic coordination from the military. The administration tried to largely defund the $65 million program in fiscal 2026 and has proposed cutting it to nearly zero for 2027, though Congress has restored funding.
A former TraCSS employee, now with Stand Up for Science, told the Guardian the arrangement makes SpaceX “the de facto source for space traffic coordination within the US.” A former NOAA official took a different view, saying SpaceX has been “remarkably responsive to space safety concerns” and blaming the government for not setting a clear governance framework. SpaceX operates about 11,000 Starlink satellites. Neither SpaceX nor the Space Force responded to the Guardian’s request for comment.
Source: The Guardian.