SpaceX may be guilty of violating regulatory standards by using a classified network of satellites to transmit data to Earth on radio frequencies reserved for uplinking signals, according to a citizen scientist who tracks satellites in Earth orbit.
Scott Tilley, an amateur satellite tracker in Canada, accidentally detected space-to-Earth emissions on a radio frequency band reserved for transmitting data from Earth to space, NPR first reported. The signals were traced to SpaceX’s Starshield, an encrypted version of the Starlink satellites used for national security efforts.
Using an unauthorized frequency to downlink data to Earth violates radio regulations set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and could potentially interfere with other satellites’ ability to receive signals from Earth, according to a report by Tilley.
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Although there’s little information shared about Starshield, Tilley was able to detect signals from 170 satellites in the 2025 to 2110 MHz range. This specific band of the radio spectrum is reserved for uplinking data from Earth to orbiting satellites and therefore should not have any signals going the other way round.
“Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands—or ignore commands—from Earth,”
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Because the ITU doesn’t impose fines for regulatory violations, SpaceX will likely face no consequences for using an unauthorized frequency band or for potentially interfering with other satellite signals. The company is known for pushing regulatory boundaries to further its position as a leader in the industry.
Source: SpaceX’s Secret ‘Starshield’ Satellites Caught Using Unauthorized Frequencies
And with “pushing” they mean “breaking”, either wilfully or due to crass incompetence.
Robin Edgar
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