- GAO has found that cost, operational restrictions and availability concerns limit commercial space data use
- The Space Force has spent $76.8 million on commercial space data through September 2025
- JCO purchases has supported space domain awareness, reconnaissance, tracking and surveillance missions
The Government Accountability Office has found that some Department of War officials are missing opportunities to use commercial space data due to expensive licensing fees, perceived operational restrictions and doubts regarding long-term availability.
What Did GAO Find About DOW’s Commercial Space Purchases?
According to the GAO report published Thursday, the Space Force’s Joint Commercial Operations Cell, tasked with purchasing data and services for the service, spent $76.8 million on commercial space data and services through the contractor-operated Global Data Marketplace between January 2023 and September 2025. The purchases backed missions including space domain awareness alongside tactical reconnaissance, tracking and surveillance capabilities.
The National Reconnaissance Office and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also purchased commercial imagery and analytic products from fiscal years 2021 through 2025, GAO said.
Other federal agencies have similarly turned to commercial vendors for space data. NASA, for instance, recently added eight companies to its Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition contract, bringing in firms such as Hydrosat, Muon Space and Orbital Sidekick to supplement the agency’s Earth-observing satellites with additional imagery.
What Did GAO Recommend?
GAO determined that an informal working group led by JCO could address some of the concerns. The Cross-Government Commercial Data Sharing Working Group meets monthly to align ongoing and upcoming commercial space data acquisitions across government entities.
However, some Space Force officials were not part of the group and information about its activities was not widely available, according to GAO.
The watchdog recommended that the secretary of the Air Force direct the Space Force to raise awareness of the working group and provide information on how government organizations can access and use previously purchased commercial data and services. DOW agreed with the recommendation and plans to enhance awareness of the group and available data.
