SpaceX launched a free satellite tracking system for radio safety in orbit, available to everyone under certain conditions

SpaceX launches an open space surveillance service – Stargaze

With the growing number of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), the problem of random collisions is becoming increasingly acute.

However, space powers rarely share data on their spacecraft’s orbits for secrecy reasons. The threat of a global space catastrophe forces them to seek solutions.

What does SpaceX propose?

The company announced the creation of a *Space Situational Awareness* (SSA) system called Stargaze – a tool intended to enhance safety in LEO.

- Infrastructure: almost 9,600 Starlink satellites are equipped with about 30,000 star trackers that were originally used for stellar navigation.
- Functionality: these cameras can capture passes of other orbital objects. The system records roughly 30 million transits daily.
- Advantages: thanks to the scale of the Starlink grouping, Stargaze provides continuous monitoring and orbit calculations almost in real time, far outpacing traditional ground radar in speed and data volume.

The key feature is rapid alerts.

Stargaze quickly detects satellite maneuvers and predicts potential close approaches, issuing warnings minutes instead of hours in advance. This reduces the number of required maneuvers and lowers the risk of creating space debris.

> “We do not view Stargaze as a primary tracking tool – it’s a supplementary instrument. The main source of information about the space situation remains the provision of orbital data by each operator.” – said a SpaceX representative.

Open access and participation terms.

SpaceX plans to make Stargaze data free for all operators, including competitors, to encourage global information exchange and increase orbit transparency. Currently, closed testing is underway with more than ten operators. Participation is only possible under the condition of full openness of orbital data.

Future plans.

From spring 2026 onward, the service will be expanded to cover an increasing number of satellites. The motivation for creating Stargaze is obvious: a higher number of dangerous close approaches raises the risk of catastrophe. In a climate of political mistrust, revealing information about military orbits is practically impossible, but the ability to observe other countries’ satellites already poses a threat and elicits reactions from some states.

Thus, SpaceX offers a joint solution to space safety, opening the way to more transparent and predictable LEO operations.