SpaceX may be violating international telecommunications standards by allowing its StarShield satellites to transmit to Earth on frequencies it is not supposed to use, NPR Report. StarShield is a classified version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network that is contracted out to government agencies “to support national security efforts.” Company website.
The report is based on the findings of amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who observed that StarShield satellites normally broadcast on frequencies dedicated to “uplink” transmissions from Earth to satellites in orbit. Violates the way frequency is used value set by International Telecommunication UnionA United Nations agency dedicated to coordinating the use of the radio spectrum worldwide.
SpaceX’s Starshield satellites
The frequencies used for uplink and downlink transmissions on satellites were developed to avoid interference, among other technical issues. “Nearby satellites can pick up radio-frequency interference and possibly ignore commands — or commands — from Earth,” Tilley said. NPR. It’s not yet clear whether SpaceX is causing any problems with satellite communications by ignoring these rules, but there is now a possible cause if the problem occurs.
SpaceX’s first major StarShield project was a $70 million contract with the US Space Force in 2023. As recently as 2024, it was reported that SpaceX’s StarShield division was tasked with building a network of spy satellites to gather images of Earth for the Defense Department’s National Reconnaissance Office.