The Space Force has given SpaceX enhanced access to the most detailed, secure version of the US Space Command’s High Accuracy Catalog, first reported by Theguardian. The military system is more accurate than Stargaze, while industry observers say the access raises national security questions and concerns about SpaceX’s role in commercial space traffic coordination.
SpaceX and the Space Force signed a new contract. It marks the first time the Space Force has granted a commercial company enhanced access to the catalog; the government receives access to Stargaze cameras and sensors in return.
The catalog access includes Vector Covariance Messages (VCMs), tracking data collected from military sensors, telescopes and ground radars. The data tracks the paths of satellites and other objects in lower orbit, including objects down to about 10cm.
SpaceX’s Stargaze system uses thousands of cameras and radars mounted on Starlink satellites to track other satellites and space objects. The exchange puts different detection limits side by side: Stargaze can see objects down to about a half meter, while the military data tracks objects down to about 10cm.
The VCM data is designated controlled unclassified information and has been closely held by the military because it could expose limits in defense capabilities. Observers say the Defense Department has also wanted to prevent reverse engineering of satellite sensors it uses to monitor other nations’ defense satellites.
Traccs, established by the first Trump administration to take commercial space traffic control from the Defense Department, has never been fully funded or staffed. It manages thousands of satellites, debris and spacecraft and helps prevent up to 50,000 near-collisions, called conjunctions, daily.
The administration tried to largely defund the $65m program in fiscal year 2026, but Congress reinserted funding. For fiscal year 2027, the administration again proposed slashing the budget to nearly zero, and the House again reinserted funding.
Former Traccs employee Cole Donovan, now with Stand Up for Science, said the access gives SpaceX an advantage over companies offering similar services and makes the company a de facto source for space traffic coordination in the US. A former NOAA official who spoke anonymously said SpaceX had been remarkably responsive to space-safety concerns and did not fault Starlink for stepping into an area the government had failed to address adequately.
The commercial US space market is expected to be worth nearly $2tn over the next decade.