Space Systems Command launches ACES to speed commercial security clearances

Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office disclosed the Access to the Classified Ecosystem for Space program on October 22, 2026, in El Segundo, California, to speed security clearances for commercial space companies seeking classified national security space program access, satnews.com reported. Col. Tim Trimailo unveiled the initiative at the 2026 LA Space Week Space Industry Days.

The program, known as ACES, creates a framework for merging commercial space technology with classified national-security missions. It identifies security access mandates early and builds on industry outreach priorities already set out in the Space Force Commercial Space Strategy, according to satnews.com. ACES is designed to flag security access requirements before vendors attempt to enter classified work. The framework links private-sector space capabilities with the Defense Department’s classified mission needs through early identification of clearance requirements.

ACES addresses clearance delays that block commercial vendors from entering classified defense space acquisition programs. Without appropriate clearances, the military cannot give developers briefings on emerging orbital threats or classified capability requirements, satnews.com reported. The Space Force cannot fully engage industry on threats, requirements, and mission needs without proper security access. This barrier has kept vendors with mature spaceflight solutions out of classified programs while the backlog persists, according to the source’s description of the lasting acquisition problem.

The initiative is not an open path for independent clearance requests. Companies need a government sponsor with a confirmed operational need before asking for clearance, satnews.com reported. Defense officials said a vendor needs an active government backer whose operational need is confirmed before clearance can be sought. COMSO plans to coordinate with those sponsors on tailored contracting vehicles as part of the clearance process.

COMSO plans to work with sponsors on tailored contracting vehicles to steer companies through vetting. The effort connects to Space Systems Command’s $15.6 billion yearly acquisition budget and aims to grow the commercial technology base behind that budget while speeding capability delivery to the warfighter, satnews.com reported. Coordinating with sponsors to find those vehicles should broaden the commercial technology base behind the command’s budget. The budget and warfighter focus frame ACES as an acquisition reform tool rather than a standalone clearance service.

ACES builds on DARPA’s BRIDGES initiative, which finished in 2025 after helping 19 space companies connect to classified work, according to satnews.com. COMSO is expanding the BRIDGES model across the enterprise by working with SpaceWERX and the Defense Innovation Unit. The program uses Other Transaction Authority agreements to help companies navigate security vetting. Cross-agency alignment under these agreements is meant to cut administrative barriers for vendors that have validated mission requirements.

Col. Tim Trimailo, Director of COMSO, described ACES as an important step toward acquisition reform and commercial integration, satnews.com reported. “ACES addresses a significant barrier to acquisition reform and commercial integration,” he said. He said the government cannot fully engage industry on threats, requirements, and mission needs without proper security access. The remarks came as Trimailo unveiled the program during the 2026 LA Space Week Space Industry Days in El Segundo, California.

Col. Aaron Stevenson, Deputy Director of COMSO, said solving the clearance problem needs a coordinated team effort, according to satnews.com. Coordination between agencies cuts administrative hurdles for vendors that have validated mission requirements, Stevenson said on October 22, 2026. The deputy director framed interagency cooperation as the path forward for vendors facing clearance delays. He delivered his comments on the same day as the director’s program unveiling.

Space Force leadership said on October 22, 2026, that bridging commercial innovation with classified programs is needed to field space combat capabilities, according to satnews.com. ACES is designed to support that goal by connecting commercial technology with classified national-security missions. The program is meant to speed delivery of capabilities to the warfighter through faster access to classified work. Leadership positioned the initiative as necessary for fielding combat capabilities in the space domain.

The command frames ACES as an acquisition reform tool rather than a standalone clearance service. ACES takes aim at a lasting hold-up in defense space acquisition where clearance delays prevent companies with proven spaceflight capabilities from entering classified programs, satnews.com reported. The program expands on the BRIDGES model and industry outreach priorities in the Space Force Commercial Space Strategy. It is positioned as part of the Space Force’s effort to integrate commercial innovation into national-security space work.

Clearance backlogs have operated as a persistent bottleneck in defense space acquisition, according to satnews.com. Companies with proven spaceflight capabilities have faced barriers getting into classified programs because of the delays. ACES takes aim at this hold-up by identifying security access requirements early in the process. The source describes the program as a response to a lasting acquisition problem.

The Space Force Commercial Space Strategy set out industry outreach priorities that ACES builds upon. The program identifies security access mandates early and connects those mandates to the command’s broader acquisition goals. The initiative expands on prior outreach goals while adding a structured pathway for commercial vendors to obtain classified access.

The Defense Innovation Unit and SpaceWERX are working with COMSO under Other Transaction Authority agreements to support ACES implementation. These partnerships are intended to simplify security vetting for commercial vendors. The cross-agency arrangement reflects the command’s effort to bring multiple defense organizations together around a shared clearance process. Vendors with validated mission requirements should see reduced administrative hurdles through this coordination.

The command intends to speed capability delivery to the warfighter by expanding commercial vendor access to classified work. The command frames ACES as a tool to make the command’s acquisition budget more effective by growing the commercial technology base behind it.