Space Force Taps Commercial Data and AI for Secretive Satellite Tracking

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Space Force Taps Commercial Data and AI for Secretive Satellite Tracking

One of the U.S. Space Force’s most critical and sensitive missions—monitoring foreign satellites and predicting potential threats to American space assets—is undergoing a significant transformation. Historically reliant on classified intelligence streams, this vital function, known as battle management, command, and control (BMC2), is now increasingly integrating commercial data and cutting-edge artificial intelligence. This strategic shift aims to enhance space domain awareness (SDA) by harnessing insights from private companies specializing in space situational awareness and machine learning.

The operational hub for this innovative approach is the Space Domain Awareness Tools, Applications and Processing Lab (SDA TAP Lab), located in Colorado Springs. This facility operates as an incubator, hosting three-month accelerator cohorts. These programs provide commercial companies with access to specific government problem sets, allowing the Space Force to rigorously examine their data, software, and algorithms. Over the past two years, more than 400 companies have participated in these cohorts, according to Lt. Col. Collin Greiser, system program manager for advanced space battle management at Space Systems Command.

Greiser highlighted the tangible benefits of this collaborative model during a recent SpaceNews virtual event, stating that it yields "so much more speed" and introduces "ideas that you’re not normally going to consider." While acknowledging that similar collaborations can occur within classified environments, he emphasized that they do not happen "at the same sense of scale that we get with the lab." This indicates that the TAP Lab's unclassified, open-door approach is unlocking unprecedented levels of innovation and efficiency.

Greiser also oversees Project Kronos, an initiative designed to deliver a modernized suite for space battle management and intelligence. The program's core objective is to fuse data in real-time, support strategic planning and deconfliction efforts, and provide a shared operational picture for U.S. and allied space operators. To streamline the transition from experimentation to operational deployment, Space Systems Command recently placed the TAP Lab under the Kronos program umbrella.

This integration is intended to establish a more deliberate pathway for emerging technologies to become official programs of record. "The goal is to encourage and build more of an intentional pathway to a program of record so technologies can be used operationally," Greiser explained. "And so by moving the lab underneath Kronos, that has really started that transition." The immediate objective is to "boost the amount of capability that we’re taking from the lab and putting it in my program," he added, underscoring the drive to quickly operationalize commercially developed solutions.

Industry executives confirm that the TAP Lab is significantly lowering barriers to entry for smaller firms seeking to engage with the defense sector. Tim Bode, senior space solutions architect at Leidos, noted that the lab helps companies understand precise government needs before committing resources to formal procurement processes. "If you go out to the TAP lab website, there are 61 problems detailed," he said. "Five years ago, it would have been a blank screen." For a small company with a niche capability, this level of visibility is invaluable.

Leidos, a key partner, provides software engineering, data integration, and systems support to the lab, assisting in the ingestion and visualization of tracking data. Bode described the linkage between the TAP Lab and Project Kronos as a "huge change" in the speed at which prototypes can advance towards acquisition, resulting in solutions that are "more vetted."

In military strategy, disrupting an adversary's "kill chain"—the sequence of actions required to execute an attack—is paramount. In the space domain, satellites play a crucial role in enabling these kill chains by providing surveillance, communications, and navigation capabilities. By enhancing space domain awareness, the Space Force aims to gain the crucial advantage needed to detect and neutralize threats before they can materialize.

Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, deputy chief of space operations for operations, articulated this imperative at the Air & Space Forces Association's Warfare Symposium: "We have to be able to deny, degrade, damage and destroy their kill chain so that they cannot target our warfighters." The service's strategy explicitly calls for avoiding "operational surprise," with Schiess stating, "I want as much space domain awareness as there is."

Maj. Sean Allen, chief of the SDA TAP Lab, described the lab's operational model as a "demand-driven environment where we publicly articulate all the problem statements on our website." He noted the assumption that industry partners likely possess much of the requisite code and can adapt it rapidly. A key focus is distinguishing routine satellite maneuvers from potentially hostile actions. "Then my ability to make predictions about intent is sped up 10x or 100x," Allen remarked. When potentially threatening behavior is identified and integrated into automated systems, these tools can swiftly recommend courses of action, drastically compressing decision timelines.

Through successive cohorts, the TAP Lab has cultivated an extensive catalog of commercial capabilities that operators can readily access for specific needs. Siamak Hesar, CEO of Kayhan Space, a company that has participated in the lab, highlighted its value in providing the government with access to "a large pool of applications and capabilities" that have been tested and validated on the unclassified network. Many of these cutting-edge tools leverage large language models and other AI techniques, with Hesar adding, "We are building capabilities that are AI first. And we are still learning what this technology is capable of."

The TAP Lab's reach is also expanding geographically. In addition to its Colorado headquarters and operations in Maui, Hawaii, a new node is being established at the University of Texas at Austin. The Texas Space Commission has allocated approximately $9.3 million to support the development of this new facility, which will include secure infrastructure, operator training, and funding for six cohort cycles. This expansion signifies a growing commitment to broadening access to advanced space domain awareness capabilities across the United States.

7dayes News Agency