GAO Finds Gaps in Pentagon Use of Commercial Space Data
A new Government Accountability Office report says some Defense Department officials are hesitating to purchase or use commercial satellite, Earth-observation and related analytical products because of licensing costs, perceived use restrictions and uncertainty about long-term access.
The report, published and publicly released August 27, 2026, does not conclude that the Pentagon is failing across the board to use commercial space information. Instead, GAO identified opportunities to improve how selected Defense Department organizations share and use data and services that the government buys from private companies.
Space Force marketplace spending reached $76.8 million
Within the Space Force, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell is a main organization for purchasing commercial space data and related services. GAO found that the cell spent $76.8 million through the contractor-operated Global Data Marketplace from January 27, 2023, through September 30, 2025.
The purchases supported missions including space-domain awareness and tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking. The $76.8 million figure applies only to Joint Commercial Operations Cell purchases through that marketplace. It is not a total for all Defense Department spending on commercial-space capabilities.
GAO’s broader review examined commercial space data and related services purchased during fiscal years 2021 through 2025. It also reviewed unclassified summary information from the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, marketplace records, contracts, user guides and interviews with agency officials, contractors and industry representatives.
Officials cited licensing and access concerns
Some Space Force officials told GAO that licensing costs, perceived limits on how products could be used and concerns about continued access made them more cautious about purchasing or using commercial data.
The report said those concerns can affect whether commercial products are integrated into defense planning. Commercial imagery and other data may be easier to share with allies and partners when they are not classified. Commercial sensors and analytical services can also help address collection gaps in government-owned systems and provide rapidly produced information for operational analysis.
Licenses can differ in price and in the rights they provide for copying, sharing or continued use. Officials may also hesitate to rely on a commercial source if they are unsure whether the government will retain access during a future crisis or conflict.
A coordination group exists, but awareness is limited
Since 2024, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell has led an informal Cross-Government Commercial Data Sharing Working Group. The group meets monthly and is intended to coordinate current and future commercial-space data purchases by participating federal organizations.
Participants include organizations within the Defense Department, along with the Departments of Commerce, NASA and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. GAO said the working group does not have a memorandum of understanding.
GAO found that many of the challenges described by Space Force officials could have been addressed through discussions with the working group. But the officials were not part of the group, and information about its role and how to participate was not widely available.
GAO recommendation remains open
GAO recommended that the Secretary of the Air Force ensure the Space Force informs current and potential users about the working group and explains how to access and use commercial data and services that federal agencies have already purchased.
The Defense Department agreed with the recommendation and said it plans to increase awareness of the group and existing data-access channels. GAO lists the recommendation as open, meaning the agency has not yet demonstrated that the recommended steps have been completed.
What to watch next
The immediate issue is administrative rather than a newly announced change to military operations: whether the Space Force makes its purchasing and access channels easier for officials to find and use.
Signs of progress would include published access guidance, broader participation in the monthly working group and follow-up documentation showing how the department addressed licensing, data-rights and long-term-access concerns. Those changes could affect whether taxpayers receive the full value of commercial data the government has already purchased and whether defense planners can obtain useful products quickly when needed.
Sources
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