SpaceX’s classified military satellites are emitting a “mysterious signal” that could be violating international standards, NPR reports.
Experts told the public broadcaster that the Elon Musk-led space company could be flouting international standards set by the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union.
“Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands — or ignore commands — from Earth,” Canada-based amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who first spotted the signals, told NPR.
Tilley accidentally discovered the unusual radio frequencies, which are in the 2025-2110 MHz range and are being emitted by at least 170 of SpaceX’s defense satellites.
“It was just a clumsy move at the keyboard,” he told NPR. “I was resetting some stuff and then all of a sudden I’m looking at the wrong antenna, the wrong band.”
The spectrum is usually reserved for sending data to orbiting satellites from Earth and shouldn’t be used for transmitting data from space.
Tilley’s investigation into the unusual broadcasting led him to SpaceX’s Starshield constellation of Starlink satellites, which is part of a $1.8 billion contract with the Department of Defense.
Apart from leveraging Starlink tech and “launch capability to support national security efforts,” according to SpaceX’s website, little is known about Starshield. Per the firm, the constellation provides “assured global communications to government users.”
SpaceX has launched eleven batches of the secretive satellite since May 2024 on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office.
In short, plenty of questions remain regarding the constellation. For one, we don’t know why it’s emitting signals in such an unusual radio frequency. We also don’t know whether its transmissions could be interfering with other space-based assets.
Tilley told NPR that it’s unlikely to have done any damage so far, given the lack of any public complaints.
However, given the contentiousness of the radio band, SpaceX might be aware it’s crowding a forbidden frequency.
“SpaceX is smart and savvy,” he argued, suggesting the company chose a “do it and ask forgiveness later” approach.
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