Scott Tilley

An amateur satellite observer in Canada named Scott Tilley discovered the signal accidentally.

It was just a clumsy move at the keyboard.

I was just resetting some stuff.

When all of a sudden, up popped a signal from space.

It came from Starshield, a network of classified satellites built by SpaceX for the U.S.

government.

Starshield is broadcasting on radio frequencies normally reserved to send commands from Earth

two satellites in orbit.

Tilley worries it might disrupt communications with other scientific and commercial satellites.

It's unclear what the signal is for.

SpaceX and the U.S.

National Reconnaissance Office did not respond to NPR's request for comment.

Jeff Brumfield, NPR News.