What Happened
Pentagon Expands Use of Private Space Intelligence Amid Acquisition Challenges
The US Space Force has spent nearly $124 million on commercial space data through its Global Data Marketplace, according to a new government audit. The purchases, which supported missions ranging from satellite tracking to detecting GPS interference, reflect the military’s growing use of privately collected space data and analytics. The audit found that the Pentagon has yet to fully organize how it buys, shares, and reuses commercial data, with licensing costs and uncertainty about data rights discouraging some officials from using commercial products. The report was first published by SpaceNews.