Fairmont Consulting Group’s Post

𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻❗ In a positive development this month, the Space Force has published details on how it intends to cultivate private partnerships to increase U.S. competitive advantage. "... Commercial technologies should be 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, as opposed to merely augmenting existing government systems. [...] 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴; 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 [...] are highlighted as the top mission areas targeted for new commercial integration. " 👉 The Space Force will use four 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 related to utilizing commercial space solutions: 1️⃣ Operational Utility 2️⃣ Feasibility 3️⃣ Resilience by Design 4️⃣ Speed to Fielding. #Futureofspace #Innovation #SSA #SpaceTech #Newspace

Space Force Releases Commercial Integration Strategy with Industry Feedback. The Space Force recently outlined its strategy for integrating commercial space technologies into its operations at the 39th Space Symposium. This strategy is designed to enhance collaboration between the military and commercial space sectors. Industry leaders, including Ellen Chang and Todd Master, expressed concerns about the lack of detailed implementation and financial commitments in the strategy. General Chance Saltzman described the strategy as not a comprehensive solution but a framework to initiate discussions and develop hybrid architectures. He stated, "It is not a panacea. It does not provide all the answers. It frames the discussion that must take place. It sets the conditions for productive collaboration, and it starts the critical processes needed to accelerate the purposeful pursuit of hybrid space architectures." Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton noted that the success of this strategy would be measured by its implementation and funding execution, marking a critical step towards fostering military-commercial space partnerships. 

7 April 2024, DIU State of the Space Industrial Base 2023 Report Key Data points for introducing new pathways to provide cooperative options for USSF PMs. #adaptiveinternationalaffairsframework “Team with Global Partners - U.S. space systems and architectures should be Allied-by Design which allows our partners to equally benefit in terms of their participation in economic prosperity and collective security on a global scale. The challenges posed by adversaries today are much smaller when allies stand shoulder-to-shoulder with integrated space capabilities.” (pg 8) "Development and Production at Speed and Scale. Fast following commercial technology to achieve strategic outcomes requires timely, effective, streamlined, flexible, and enabling contracts, procurement approaches, architectures, digital systems engineering practices, funding paradigms, collaborative development efforts, rapid prototyping, concurrent engineering, and active technology demand pull to fully harness and leverage commercial speed, scope, scale, and production capacity to compete economically while contributing to integrated deterrence." "AUKUS- The Advanced Capabilities Pillar (also known as Pillar 2) represents a revolutionary approach to trilaterally develop and provide joint advanced military capabilities.. Under this agreement, AUKUS partners agree to collaborate on accelerated defense innovation activities that better integrate commercial technology" (pg 22) "No clear path for co-funded acquisitions yet exists -an example of the failure to translate policy is the lack of any clear paths for co-funded acquisitions. A successful co-development / co-production effort to evolve from the Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) has yet to be realized." (pg. 37) "U.S. requirement to have U.S.-owned, U.S.-domiciled companies creates barriers to entry - For example many Australian companies cannot afford the high cost of creating and maintaining U.S. subsidiaries. Moreover, companies have concerns their technology could get ‘stuck’ in the U.S.. This is leading a reverse ‘brain drain’ of promising startups -- for example Anduril and shield AI moved to Australia to develop externally and avoid export controls." (pg. 38) "How do we buy together? - What is the mechanism? There does not seem to be a mechanism for integrated acquisition planning, and the U.S. willingness to collaborate in acquisition, architecture or force design plans with key allies is still limited. How then can allies synchronize policy with technological development? Design to fielding is too long - Participants expressed concerns that it is still taking far too long to go from force design to actual systems fielding, and that this impacts allied security and allied participation in security as well." (p. 38) https://lnkd.in/gudYy3wq

I'd like to share this insightful article about the Space Force and the crucial role the private sector plays in aiding them to navigate the challenges of the great power competition. Leveraging private sector innovations gives the US a strategic edge over adversaries. Check out the article for more insights: [https://lnkd.in/d5aZixYq] 🚀 #SpaceForce #PrivateSector #Innovation

New Space is largely LEO-dominant and the relatively short life of LEO satellite constellations will drive fundamental changes in New Space ecosystems, including the companion ground infrastructures, which will increasingly be:  - Architected as software-centric, virtualized and cloud-native such that capabilities continually evolve in a ‘network-as-a-software’ context;  - Procured using ‘as-a-service’ business models that enable more comprehensive value creation than the traditional equipment procurement models of the past that have been vendor-centric and transaction-based;  - Established as collaborative partnerships (versus equipment-centric, vendor relationships) that will include (1) multi-network orchestration, (2) real-time data collection & analytics, (3) networkwide deterministic cybersecurity with zero trust, and much more;  - Intelligently exploited to blueprint next generation performance envelops that continually enhance the user/subscriber experience while simultaneously constantly improving network efficiencies and continually improving the service provider’s financial return. Some understand these New Space market dynamics and are driving hard to exploit the technology inflections at their core, while most will be left behind. Much more to come ……. 👍👍

This recently published #RAND report on how the Space Force can enhance it's S&T processes is absolutely worth the read for any venture capitalist investing in the space vertical, any space company wanting to work with the DoD, or any DoD leader wondering how to leverage more private participation into space-based national security initiatives. As a Pardee-RAND Graduate School alum myself, it's refreshing to see RAND continues to apply exacting analytic techniques to hard policy questions. In addition to the numerous excellent suggestions made by the authors, I'd add my own pet rock to this list--the DoD (most suitably #SpaceWerx, but also possibly Space Safari or Space RCO) must create an operational demonstration process for new space technologies to get heritage. The non-space DoD has dozens of exercises, training opportunities and technology demonstration forums where the warfighter can use or observe new technology in action. For the price of a road trip or an airplane ride, a start-up can show off the capabilities of their new technology to hundreds of earth-bound warfighters, get rapid and thorough feedback, and get exposure to multiple prime integrators. There is no such equivalent in space. As a result, the non-space warfighter enjoys a much more rapid uptake of new technology and derives much more benefit from the US's massive strategic edge in innovation. #SDA's recently announced HALO effort is a step in the right direction, whereby SDA sponsors a periodic satellite launch with the only mission being to host new technologies that USSF finds interesting and useful. However, space innovation organizations may be better suited to set up long-term programs. I'd propose that SPACEWERX offers a program that each successful SBIRII or TACFI they sponsor can apply for a HALO-like operational demonstration opportunity. These programs are far too meager to ever get a launch has part of the program. A dedicated "innovation launch" every 3-6 months, putting multiple new technologies on a single satellite, would get dozens of new technologies past the "heritage" moat that keeps so many promising technologies out of the hands of the warfighter. I've long been a big proponent of well-designed public-private partnerships, the use of CRADAs, and other such structures whereby the private sector and the DoD work together. The US has deeper private capital markets than the rest of the world combined, and the US should leverage that for strategic national security advantage. Put another way, venture capital represents an entire second defense R&D budget the warfighter can make use of. RAND suggests some very sound policy initiatives that would result in the private sector putting more resources into space national security initiatives. #innovation #VC #VVC #space #nationalsecurity #SDA #RCO #SpaceCouncil #SpaceEconomy #SpaceSafari #RGS

This ADF decision seems indicative of several emerging market trends and technology inflections in the satellite sector that I will briefly characterize below: (1) It is vital that we recognize the emerging market demand for simultaneous, multi-network connectivity and the blending of historically independent network ecosystems.   This includes the convergence of:  - space with terrestrial networks  - diverse orbital regimes & infrastructures  - communications with earth observation constellations   - in-space processing with space-based crosslinks   - military with commercial networks to deliver ‘insights-at-the-edge’ that blend C5ISR with EW/IW/Cyber Network Operations in a JADC2 context that elevate coherent, cognitive networking to realize “ONE NETWORK”. (2)  Market leaders must transition from a ‘connectivity’ mindset that is equipment-centric to a ‘network-as-a-software’ mindset that efficiently empowers subscribers with intelligently-defined, tailored services. (3) There may soon be nothing called a “modem”, rather a virtual infrastructure that ‘instantiates’ the functionalities of a modem, specifically tailored for each individual subscriber need & duration ….  in a multi-purpose, multi-waveform, multi-orbit and multi-network context.   And, the infrastructure framework must be holistic, agnostic and independent. (4) New Space is largely LEO-dominate and the relatively short life of LEO satellite constellations will drive fundamental changes in New Space ecosystems, especially the companion ground infrastructures, which will be:  - Architected as software-centric and cloud-native such that capabilities continually evolve in a ‘network-as-a-software’ context   - Procured using ‘as-a-service’ business models that enable more comprehensive value creation than the traditional equipment procurement models of the past  - Established as collaborative partnerships (versus vendor relationships) that will include multi-network orchestration, data collection & analytics, and much more  - Intelligently Exploited to blueprint next generation performance envelops that continually enhance the user/subscriber experience while simultaneously constantly improving network efficiencies to steadily improve the service provider’s financial return. In summary, This is a highly dynamic technology sector and there is much to consider on this topic - and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

🌐 The UK’s Space Industrial Plan: A Blueprint for Collaboration and Innovation... The UK government recently revealed an exciting development in the space sector: The Space Industrial Plan. This groundbreaking initiative signifies a transformative step in the synergy between government and commercial space interests. Key Highlights: 🔹Five Key Goals: The plan targets leadership in Space Domain Awareness, in-orbit servicing, space data applications, PNT, and satellite communications. 🔹A Guiding Framework: It’s more than just a plan - it's a blueprint for future investments, guiding where resources and efforts should flow. 🔹Fostering Innovation: Aims at cultivating a dynamic ecosystem for space companies, fuelling innovation, and ensuring operational independence in space. This plan isn't just about setting goals; it's about creating a future where the UK leads in space technology. By focusing on crucial areas like SDA and satellite comms tech, the UK is positioning itself as a pivotal player on the global stage. What do you think this means for the future of the UK's space industry? How can businesses leverage these new opportunities? https://lnkd.in/exbQKYrU #SpaceIndustry #Innovation #UKSpacePlan #Technology

The #GEOINT Symposium always goes by so fast! As you prepare for the final #GEOINT2024 general session, catch up on Tuesday's highlights from the main stage. Keynotes and panelists discussed #space domain awareness, international and inter-IC collaboration, and more. https://loom.ly/zgE6BVA

The UK Government has published its groundbreaking Space Industrial Plan, setting the stage for a new era of innovation and growth in the global space economy. In the latest Technology’s Legal Edge update, Christian Keogh and Raluca Padure look into the key goals and actionable steps outlined in this strategic initiative.   Access the article below. #SpaceTech #DLAPiperTechnology #TechLaw