NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: NATO

NATO released its Commercial Space Strategy on Tuesday, aimed at integrating commercial solutions more flexibly, and creating more business opportunities while simplifying how space companies engage with NATO. 

The “Commercial Space Strategy,” the first of its kind for NATO, was developed in consultation with industry. It supports NATO’s “Overarching Space Policy,” released in 2019 about NATO’s approach to space. The treaty organization is not an autonomous actor in space, but rather looks to complement the work of NATO allies in space. 

The strategy includes three strategic objectives — to leverage commercial solutions, ensure continuous access during peacetime, crisis and conflict, and to build coherent relationships with the commercial sector. 

In terms of leveraging commercial solutions, the strategy addresses contract opportunities to integrate commercial space services to complement NATO and Allies’ space systems and service requirements. It also addresses more flexible contracting and financing models to access commercial innovation, and calls for space to be more prominent in NATO exercises, trials, and demonstrations.

It also discusses accessing services through commercial agreements. NATO plans to “explore establishing agreements with pools of commercial providers to ensure rapid and persistent access to commercial services in times of peace, crisis and conflict …. This will help commercial partners to better understand NATO’s needs, invest and meet necessary security measures, including for cybersecurity, and expand manufacturing capabilities.” 

In addition, NATO plans to establish a new Space Capabilities Group as a single venue to promote cooperation and standardization in space. “the group will support the development of NATO and national operational capabilities and will aim to enhance capability, interoperability, availability, maintainability and affordability,” the strategy says.