SpaceX tracking-data deal raises concerns over competition and orbital oversight

SpaceX gained enhanced access to restricted US military data used to track objects in orbit under a contract with the Space Force, the Guardian reported on 25 October 2026. In return, the government received access to cameras and sensors in SpaceX’s Stargaze system. The military catalogue offers more precise tracking than Stargaze, potentially strengthening SpaceX’s collision-monitoring services.

Industry observers questioned the arrangement’s implications for competition and national security. Former federal space traffic employee Cole Donovan warned it could concentrate coordination power in one company. Space Force told Breaking Defense it was discussing data exchanges with several companies where these benefited the government. Neither SpaceX nor Space Force responded to the Guardian’s requests for comment.

The civilian Traffic Coordination System for Space, intended to take over commercial traffic coordination from the military, had struggled with staffing and funding, according to the report. Commercial space employees told the Guardian they supported it as a way to ensure fair competition, making its uncertain future central to concerns about reliance on SpaceX.