Space Force vs. Industry: Proving the Value of New Commercial Space Services

A senior Washington official said on April 23 that the Space Force’s new business strategy is to start real negotiations with the private space industry on cooperation on new business opportunities.

While the military has been buying basic commercial space services like launches and satellite communications for decades, it is still figuring out whether and how to actually use emerging products like on-orbit refueling.

“We talk a lot about space refueling, but we don’t really know what its military purpose is,” Lieutenant General Sean Bratton, deputy administrator for space operations for strategy, plans, programs and requirements, told the Atlantic Council. event.

Bratton discussed the thinking behind the Space Force Commercial Strategy, which calls for integrating private sector technology into military systems.

Many questions about how to take advantage of new commercial space services remain unanswered, he said. The Space Force’s slogan is “The Art of Understanding Possibility.”

Business model unclear

Space refueling is a good example. U.S. Space Command leaders have advocated making on-orbit refueling a necessary capability so operators can maneuver satellites without fear of running out of fuel.

Despite interest in the potential benefits of on-orbit refueling, such as extending satellite life cycles and reducing space debris, the Space Force remains unclear about the industry’s business model and whether the benefits of refueling warrant the larger financial commitment.

Bratton said this is a very immature field. What we’re really saying is that industry leads us and we don’t know what to do. We think there’s something there, but please help us figure it out.

He noted that the Space Force wants to see if it can develop a viable business model before committing fully to the capability.

Companies in the commercial sector are developing technologies to transfer propellant, xenon and other consumables to space satellites to extend their service life. In-orbit refueling could eliminate the need to launch an entire replacement satellite when the spacecraft is depleted, thereby reducing costs and debris.

However, the refueling business model has yet to be proven at scale. Space Force leaders are willing to fund research and development projects but are hesitant to make large commitments. When it comes to refueling, the military wants to be a buyer rather than the main driver of developing these commercial capabilities.

Legislator’s questions

On April 16, a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing proposed the Space Force’s future plan to purchase satellite refueling services. General Mann asked about a new $20 million funding program.

It only costs $20 million over five years. What are your plans for this?

Salzman said the money will be used for research to determine whether there are military applications. For example, if we’re looking at a concept called dynamic maneuvering, if we can have unlimited fuel in spacecraft because we have the ability to service them in orbit, then we can have more dynamic orbits that are harder to target ?

“Before we make a significant investment in a project, we really need to evaluate it to determine whether there is a significant military use there,” Saltzman said. We’ll get answers to basic questions about military use, and then we can decide whether more funding is needed.

Space Force needs clearer message

At the Atlantic Council event, Bratton said Salzman hopes the strategy will help guide the Space Force to more adopt commercial technology experts and allow ourselves to be perhaps a little uncomfortable and move into areas that we haven’t explored or haven’t yet engaged with. As for new areas of cooperation, commercialization is equally important, he said.

‘I wouldn’t say we know the answer or even have a clear understanding of what the end state is,’ Bratton said. We hope the commercial will help provide clarity and a sense of where we can go in some of these areas.

The bottom line is where are we willing to spend our money? he added. To answer this question, “We try to understand the business possibilities. What would be a good business case for them?”

When it comes to space refueling, Bratton insists, we think there’s value there, but we don’t understand the military applications well enough. There is definitely a lot of innovation in this industry, and they are bringing new concepts that we haven’t thought of. I think we have a responsibility to solve this problem, not in our own rooms, but with commercial partners who help us understand this technology and how it can be used.

He said some of the questions the Space Force must answer include: Will refueling be part of our warfighting equipment? Will pumping gas make me more competitive? Could it give me an advantage in wartime? What evidence is there that fueling makes a difference?

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