US military granted SpaceX access to sensitive data — The Guardian

The US Space Force has granted SpaceX expanded access to detailed data on objects in low Earth orbit, including potential collisions between satellites and space debris. As The Guardian reports, this is the first time a commercial company has received this level of access to the most accurate protected version of the US Space Command's object catalog.

Data for orbit tracking

SpaceX and the Space Force signed a contract providing for data sharing. The company gained access to part of the High Accuracy Catalog, which contains highly accurate information about objects in orbit. This includes Vector Covariance Messages containing data from military ground-based radars, telescopes and sensors.

These systems track the trajectories of satellites and other objects in low Earth orbit measuring approximately 10 centimeters or more. The military uses such data to monitor satellites of other countries and to prevent collisions involving commercial spacecraft.

A Space Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense that the agency works with several companies, exchanging commercial data sources for access to parts of the controlled but unclassified high-accuracy catalog when this is useful for the US government.

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Advantage for Starlink

According to The Guardian, access to military information could strengthen the capabilities of Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary that has about 11,000 satellites in orbit. Starlink uses its own Stargaze system, consisting of cameras and radars on satellites and capable of tracking objects approximately half a meter in size or larger.

Military data could supplement this system because it is more accurate. In return, the US government will gain access to Stargaze cameras and sensors. At the same time, Vector Covariance Messages are classified as controlled unclassified information and were previously restricted in distribution, including due to the risk of revealing the capabilities of defense systems.

Former Traffic Coordination System for Space program employee Cole Donovan said that such access could give SpaceX an advantage over competitors that also work with space traffic coordination services. Other sources interviewed by the publication expressed concern about the US government's possible excessive dependence on SpaceX.