Focus on Defense

In Partnership With:

NATO has a goal to embed commercial partners directly alongside its space operators, Daniel Hilgert, the senior space coordinator for NATO D2IA said at the recent CyberSat event. This week’s lead story by Shaun Waterman looks at how international space and defense experts from NATO, German BSI, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are working to secure space systems and work more closely with commercial providers in the process. 

Also in this edition — An All.Space terminal reached a milestone in the U.S. Army’s NGTT program, which is focused on single terminals that can support multiple orbits, constellations.

Also, Mark Holmes and I are hosting a webinar on Dec. 16 on the commercial-defense convergence and trends to watch for 2026 with speakers from BlackSky and Lanteris Space Systems. We’ll talk about what’s ahead in defense adoption of commercial satellite technologies in 2026. Register to join us here.

If you’re enjoying this bi-weekly Focus on Defense newsletter, please forward it to your colleagues. Did someone forward it to you? Sign up here.

 

Rachel Jewett
Senior Managing Editor, Via Satellite

NATO, German BSI, and Israel's Rafael Share Strategies for Securing Space Systems
As space becomes a domain of warfare, democracies across the globe will increasingly rely on commercial satellite operators and private sector space companies to wage… [Read More]
US Space Force 15-Year Plan to Come Out by Early 2026, Saltzman Says
The U.S. Space Force is looking to publish its 15-year plan between now and early next year, according to Chief of Space Operations Gen. B.… [Read More]
Sponsored
BlackSky Gen-3: Delivering very high-resolution data, less than a day after launch
 

BlackSky delivered the first very high-resolution images from its third Gen-3 satellite less than 24 hours after launch. The company’s advanced, low-latency architecture delivers decision-quality data at real-time, mission-relevant speed to meet growing global demand for flexible, secure tactical ISR capabilities.

Customers no longer have to wait months typically associated with satellite commissioning; BlackSky places tasking capacity into customers’ hands quickly.

Learn More
Iridium Receives Space Force Award Up to $85.8M for EMSS Upgrades 
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Iridium an infrastructure transformation contract worth up to $85.8 million for lifecycle upgrades to the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services… [Read More]
Spire to Build 8 Satellites for Deloitte’s Silent Shield Cyber Mission
Spire Global will build and operate eight satellites for Deloitte’s Silent Shield cybersecurity mission under a new contract announced Monday. The satellites will be equipped… [Read More]
All.Space Hydra Max Terminal Achieves TRL 6 in US Army NGTT Program 
All.Space has completed testing under the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Tactical Terminal (NGTT) program for its Hydra Max terminal, the company announced Nov. 25. The… [Read More]
DARPA Awards Redwire $44M to Continue Otter VLEO Mission 
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Redwire a $44 million phase 2 contract to advance an “air-breathing” spacecraft in the Otter Very… [Read More]