GAO Finds Defense Officials Hesitate to Use Some Commercial Space Data
Some Defense Department officials are hesitating to purchase or use commercial space data because of licensing costs, perceived restrictions and uncertainty over long-term access, according to a Government Accountability Office report released August 27, 2026.
The report does not say that the military lacks access to all commercial data it buys or that every purchase goes unused. Instead, it identifies a coordination and procurement problem: some potential users may not know what data the government has already purchased, how they are allowed to use it or where to raise access concerns.
What Defense is buying
Commercial space companies provide imagery, analytics and other data collected from private satellites and related systems. The Defense Department uses those products alongside government-owned systems for missions that include space-domain awareness and tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking.
Within the Space Force, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell is the main organization that buys commercial space data and related services. GAO said the cell spent $76.8 million through the contractor-operated Global Data Marketplace from January 27, 2023, through September 30, 2025.
GAO also reviewed commercial imagery purchased by the National Reconnaissance Office and commercial analytic products purchased by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency during fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
Why some officials held back
Space Force officials interviewed by GAO cited licensing costs, perceived restrictions on how data could be used and concerns about continued access over the long term. GAO said those challenges contributed to hesitation among potential users to buy and use commercial data.
Those concerns can matter even after a purchase is made. A government entity may hold a license or subscription without every potential operational user knowing that the data exists or understanding the terms governing access and reuse.
A communication gap
GAO found that the Joint Commercial Operations Cell leads an informal, monthly Cross-Government Commercial Data Sharing Working Group. The group is intended to coordinate current and future commercial space-data purchases made by federal organizations and to discuss user needs.
But some Space Force officials who reported barriers to GAO were not participating in the group, and information about it was not widely available. GAO said many of the challenges officials described could have been addressed through discussions at the working group.
The watchdog said better communication could bring more Space Force and other government officials into the discussions, help resolve licensing questions and improve use of data and services already purchased.
What GAO recommended
GAO recommended that the Secretary of the Air Force ensure the Space Force develops ways to inform current and potential users about the working group and about how to access and use commercial data and services that government entities have purchased.
The Defense Department agreed with the recommendation and said it plans to increase awareness of the working group and access guidance. GAO lists the recommendation as open, meaning the watchdog has not yet confirmed that the department completed the requested action.
What to watch next
The next accountability test is whether the Space Force turns that stated plan into documented procedures. Useful signs would include public or internal information that makes the working group easier to find, clearer instructions for accessing existing purchases and evidence that more operational users are using commercial space data.
The immediate issue is not a new authorization or spending program. It is whether the Defense Department can make the commercial capabilities it already buys easier for authorized users to find, understand and apply to national-security missions.
Sources
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