US military gives SpaceX access to sensitive space tracking data, raising monopoly and security concerns

Move comes as Trump administration seeks to privatize space traffic control, critics say

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Illustration: US military gives SpaceX access to sensitive space tracking data, raising monopoly and security concerns

The US military has granted Elon Musk's SpaceX access to restricted space tracking data, a decision that industry observers say raises national security questions and could hand monopoly control of Earth's orbit traffic to a company owned by a major political donor.

The US military has given Elon Musk's SpaceX access to its most precise data on potential collisions among satellites and other space objects. The data comes from the US Space Command's High Accuracy Catalog (Hac) and includes Vector Covariance Messages (VCMs), tracking information collected from military sensors, telescopes and radars that can detect objects as small as about 10cm in lower orbit.

SpaceX and the Space Force signed the new contract. In a statement to Breaking Defense, a Space Force spokesperson said: "The Space Force is engaging with several companies to exchange commercial data sources for access to sections of the controlled, unclassified information, high accuracy catalogue, where it provides benefit to the US government."

Critics argue the arrangement gives SpaceX an unfair advantage and could lead to a monopoly over space traffic coordination. Cole Donovan, a former employee of the Traffic Coordination System for Space (Traccs) who now works with the Stand Up for Science non-profit, said: "It's making a company the de facto source for space traffic coordination within the US. It's like giving a trucking company control of all the traffic lights, which they can switch to red whenever it's their competition's turn to go."

The move follows the administration's attempts to defund Traccs, a federal program established under the first Trump administration to take over commercial space traffic control from the defence department. The administration tried to cut the program's $65m budget in fiscal year 2026 and again proposed slashing it to nearly zero in fiscal year 2027, though Congress reinserted funding both times.

Craig Holman, Capitol Hill lobbyist for the government accountability non-profit Public Citizen, said the access was another example of the Trump administration rewarding a donor with business opportunities. "Elon Musk has bought his way into the favor of President Trump and with it, unlimited riches and lucrative government contracts in the space industry," Holman said.

A former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) official who spoke on the condition of anonymity offered a more measured view, saying SpaceX had been "remarkably responsive to space safety concerns" and did not fault Starlink for stepping into a space the government had failed to adequately address. "My greater disappointment is with the government's failure to fulfil its responsibility to establish a coherent space governance framework that provides guidance, transparency, and a level playing field for all operators," the official said.

SpaceX's Starlink subsidiary already operates about 11,000 satellites in orbit and could have as many as 20,000 in coming years. The company uses its own Stargaze system of cameras and radars mounted on Starlink satellites to track other objects, but that system can only see objects down to about half a metre in size and is less accurate than the military's system. The government will receive access to Stargaze data in return.

The commercial US space market is expected to grow to nearly $2tn in value over the next decade, and industry observers have expressed fears of a "vendor lock" scenario in which the government becomes overly reliant on SpaceX.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The decision could give SpaceX a dominant position in space traffic coordination, affecting all satellite operators and potentially creating a conflict of interest when SpaceX's own satellites are involved in close approaches.
Granting a single commercial company access to sensitive military tracking data raises national security concerns about exposing the limits of defence capabilities.
The move represents a test of whether space traffic management will be a public function or a privatised service, with implications for global space safety and competition.

Background

Traccs, the Traffic Coordination System for Space, was established under the first Trump administration to take over commercial space traffic control from the defence department. The program has never been fully funded or staffed, and has struggled to take root. The current administration attempted to largely defund the $65m program in fiscal year 2026 and again proposed slashing its budget to nearly zero in fiscal year 2027, though Congress reinserted funding both times. The move to give SpaceX access to military data follows the firing of many Traccs staff by Musk's Doge in 2025.

Key Perspectives

Cole Donovan (former Traccs employee, now with Stand Up for Science): It is making SpaceX the de facto source for space traffic coordination within the US, akin to giving a trucking company control of all the traffic lights. Space Force spokesperson: The military is engaging with several companies to exchange commercial data sources for access to sections of the controlled catalogue where it provides benefit to the US government. Craig Holman (Public Citizen): Elon Musk has bought his way into the favor of President Trump and with it, unlimited riches and lucrative government contracts in the space industry. Former Noaa official (anonymous): SpaceX has been remarkably responsive to space safety concerns, and the greater disappointment is the government's failure to establish a coherent space governance framework.

What to Watch

The outcome of the fiscal year 2027 budget process: the administration has proposed cutting Traccs to near zero again, while the House has reinserted funding.
Whether other commercial space companies seek similar access to military tracking data, and how the military responds.
Potential congressional oversight hearings or antitrust scrutiny of SpaceX's growing dominance in launch services, satellite operations and now traffic coordination.

Sources

US military gives Elon Musk’s SpaceX access to sensitive tracking data · The Guardian

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe US military gave SpaceX access to sensitive tracking data, raising monopoly and national-security concerns.World news | The Guardian: “The US military has given Elon Musk’s SpaceX access to restricted space tracking data, raising a new round of questions about whether the Trump administration is attempting to hand over traffic control in Earth’s orbit to a controversial donor. The access also raises new national security questions, industry observers say.”
Partly supportedThe administration is seeking to privatize space traffic control, according to critics.World news | The Guardian: “The moves were widely viewed in the industry as an attempt by Musk to privatize space traffic control.”
Partly supportedIndustry observers say the arrangement could give a company owned by a major political donor monopoly control of Earth’s orbit traffic.World news | The Guardian: “The access also raises new national security questions, industry observers say. ... [The] unprecedented access to military data appears to be another step toward Musk asserting monopoly control over commercial space activity more broadly, said Cole Donovan”
SupportedThe Space Force spokesperson said: “The Space Force is engaging with several companies to exchange commercial data sources for access to sections of the controlled, unclassified information, high accuracy catalogue, where it provides benefit to the US government.”World news | The Guardian: ““The Space Force is engaging with several companies to exchange commercial data sources for access to sections of the controlled, unclassified information, high accuracy catalogue, where it provides benefit to the US government,” a spokesperson told the outlet.”
SupportedCole Donovan said: “It's making a company the de facto source for space traffic coordination within the US. It's like giving a trucking company control of all the traffic lights, which they can switch to red whenever it's their competition's turn to go.”World news | The Guardian: ““It’s making a company the de facto source for space traffic coordination within the US,” Donovan added. “It’s like giving a trucking company control of all the traffic lights, which they can switch to red whenever it’s their competition’s turn to go.””
SupportedCraig Holman said: “Elon Musk has bought his way into the favor of President Trump and with it, unlimited riches and lucrative government contracts in the space industry.”World news | The Guardian: ““Elon Musk has bought his way into the favor of President Trump and with it, unlimited riches and lucrative government contracts in the space industry,” Holman added.”
Partly supportedAn anonymous former NOAA official called SpaceX “remarkably responsive to space safety concerns,” did not fault Starlink for stepping in, and said the government had failed to establish a coherent space-governance framework.World news | The Guardian: “said SpaceX has largely been “remarkably responsive to space safety concerns” and they do not fault Starlink for stepping into a space that the government has failed to adequately address. “My greater disappointment is with the government’s failure to fulfil its responsibility to establish a coherent space governance framework”
Partly supportedThe administration tried to cut the Traccs budget of $65m in fiscal 2026 and proposed reducing it to nearly zero in fiscal 2027; Congress restored funding both times.World news | The Guardian: “The administration in fiscal year 2026 tried to largely defund the $65m program during the budgetary process, but Congress re-inserted the funding. The administration has again proposed slashing the budget to nearly zero in fiscal year 2027, but the House again reinserted the funding.”
SupportedStarlink operates about 11,000 satellites and could have as many as 20,000 in coming years.World news | The Guardian: “It operates about 11,000 satellites in orbit, and could have as many as 20,000 in the coming years.”
SupportedStargaze can track objects down to about half a metre, is less accurate than the military system, and the government will receive access to Stargaze data in return for the military data.World news | The Guardian: “It can only see objects that are down to about a half meter in size, and is not as accurate as the military’s system. ... The government is receiving something in return for the data – access to Stargaze cameras and sensors.”
SupportedThe US commercial space market is expected to be worth nearly $2tn over the next decade.World news | The Guardian: “The commercial US space market is expected to grow to a value of nearly $2tn in value over the next decade”