IC Technology & Cyber — 2026-08-30

NRO and Space Force Spent 77 Million on Commercial Satellite Imagery Including Chinese Naval Base Photos

BLUFBureaucratic exclusion from an interagency working group, not cost or technology, remains the primary barrier to Space Force exploitation of commercial imagery already proving its value in operational settings.

A Government Accountability Office report issued Thursday found the Space Force's Joint Commercial Operations Cell spent $76.8 million on commercial satellite data and services through the Global Data Marketplace between January 2023 and September 2025, while Air & Space Forces Magazine tallied total Space Force marketplace spending at $124 million once System Delta 810 and other Pentagon buyers are counted 12. GAO reported that 2024 imagery purchased by the National Reconnaissance Office, under its $4 billion Electro-Optical Commercial Layer contract with Vantor, Planet Labs, and BlackSky, tracked Chinese aircraft carrier and ship movements at Sanya Naval Base in Hainan province 13. Separately, JCO-purchased images helped U.S. Southern Command identify suspected clandestine airstrips in Ecuador, intelligence the U.S. shared with Ecuadorian authorities, who investigated and disabled the sites 13. GAO found Space Force officials cited licensing costs, use restrictions, and data-access concerns for hesitating to buy commercial data because they were excluded from a Cross-Government Commercial Data Sharing Working Group, and recommended Air Force Secretary Troy Meink increase awareness of it; the Defense Department concurred on June 18 124. Congress mandated the report in the fiscal 2023 NDAA over concern DOD was underinvesting in commercial data; GAO put NRO's own commercial-imagery spending at $300-500 million annually and NGA's at $25-125 million for fiscal 2021-2025 (both budgets classified), dwarfing the Space Force marketplace figures, while the Space Force's fiscal 2027 budget request seeks more than $2.5 billion for commercial capabilities and services 12.

Analysis
GAO's findings point to bureaucratic exclusion, not cost or classification, as the primary obstacle to Space Force commercial-imagery use: officials cited licensing and access concerns already being resolved for other purchasers in a Cross-Government Commercial Data Sharing Working Group they didn't know existed. DoD's concurrence closes that gap administratively, requiring no new funding or contract changes, and the Sanya Naval Base tracking and Ecuador airstrip cueing demonstrate commercial data substituting for classified collection while shielding exquisite systems. Officials' stated resistance may instead reflect institutional reluctance to cede budget share and mission ownership to commercial vendors rather than mere unawareness. The GAO report stands as the sole primary source, with Defense One, Forbes, and Air & Space Forces Magazine re-reporting rather than independently corroborating its findings.

4 sources

National Security Space: DOD Has Opportunities to Improve Its Use of Commercial Data and Related Services - U.S. Government Accountability Office
New Report Tracks Space Force Spending on Commercial Data - Air & Space Forces Magazine
US military bought commercial satellite images of alleged narco airstrips, Chinese naval fleet - Defense One
Space Force Hesitated Using Commercial Space Data Because Of Communication Gaps, Watchdog Finds - Forbes