Satellite technology has advanced significantly over the last decade, and this technological advancement along with the increased need for connectivity, has fuelled the rapid and unprecedented expansion of the commercial satcom industry. As governments across the globe seek to leverage groundbreaking and innovative commercial solutions and enhance their military capabilities, partnerships between commercial operators and governments have become increasingly commonplace. This way of working has been clearly evident in Ukraine, where commercial solutions such as Maxar and Starlink have been instrumental in enhancing the country’s defence and military capabilities.
It is this increasingly collaborative relationship between military and industry that has led to a growing realisation that commercial partners need to be protected against threats so that satellites can operate securely and safely and be available for use by military in times of need. In light of this recognition, NATO plans to launch its new commercial space strategy which aims to define how commercial partners can be protected against threats, and at the same time enable NATO allied militaries to better leverage commercial capability and innovations. The strategy was initially announced by NATO in July last year, shortly after the US Space Force’s Commercial Space Strategy which was launched in April 2024.
Protecting satellites from threats
The potential threats to satellites are many and include anti-satellite weapons, RF weapons, cyber-attacks, jamming, as well as spoofing the GPS signal to camouflage, conceal and deceive adversaries. Alongside these deliberate threats, there’s also a need to protect against accidental threats to satellites such as in-orbit collision with space objects such as another satellite or space debris. With rapidly rising numbers of satellites and debris objects orbiting Earth, there is an urgent need to improve space situational awareness (SSA) and develop accurate space traffic management systems to protect against this risk.
Information sharing is imperative when establishing accurate SSA and Space Traffic Management systems. Yet there can be reluctance to share data because of concerns around political and commercial sensitivities. From a military perspective, unwillingness to share data can also arise out of a desire to prevent aggressors from accessing SSA information needed to coordinate an attack on a satellite.
Effective SSA requires international cooperation and information sharing, and military, governments and commercial operations all have a role to play in this. The NATO strategy calls for increased collaborative working across nations and between government and industry. Higher levels of collaboration to verify positioning and orbit of satellites, as well as orbit determination and tracking of small objects will be critical to ensure ongoing in-orbit safety of satellites, particularly as the number of satellites and debris objects increase. As we move forward into the new space landscape which brings with it increased risks and threats, data sharing and partnership strategies between governments and industry will be critical for ongoing space flight safety.
Space Data Association at SATELLITE 2025
The Space Data Association (SDA) works to enhance the safety of space flight via sharing of operational data and promotion of best practices across the industry. Its membership is formed of members from all over the world and it is constantly focused on expanding its membership to support the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment.
The SDA will be in Washington D.C. for SATELLITE 2025 from 10th – 13th March. Chairman Joe Chan is joining a panel session about the shifting landscape and the role of partnership strategies between governments, industry, and commercial entities. The session, ‘NATO In Space: The Shifting Landscape & The Role of Industry’ is taking place on Tuesday, 11th March, at 11am.
To find out more about the SDA, or to arrange a meeting at the SATELLITE show with one of SDA’s representatives, contact membership@space-data.org today.