NGA, NRO, USSPACECOM Plan For Threats To Commercial Satellites

“Space is an extremely contested environment, and it’s only getting more so".

US Space Command: Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. - Joint agreement outlines a framework for the protection of commercial space assets in a congested – and contested – environment.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance  Office, and the U.S. Space Command recently signed a first-of-its-kind agreement outlining a framework to enable the protection of commercial remote sensing space assets vital to the nation’s intelligence collection mission.

The Commercial Space Protection Tri-Seal Strategic Framework brings together the three organizations to jointly share threat information and conduct other measures to avoid or reduce harm to commercial satellites from potential threats.

“This agreement is additional recognition of how valuable commercial image providers have become in the space environment,‘’ said Frank Avila, acting director, NGA Commercial Operations. 

“Our commercial vendors give us the flexibility to strategically consider all available capabilities—whether government or commercial—to make sure we can get  the right data to the right place at the right time.”

This is the first comprehensive agreement between the intelligence community and USSPACECOM on how to bring commercial vendors into the information-sharing process to help ensure effective joint collaboration and cooperation from the minute an event happens, with near real-time information sharing about any risks and threats to NRO-contracted commercial space capabilities.

The growing use of commercial satellites, Preparing For Potential Threats: