Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force, said the service is looking to broaden the procurement of commercial space services with the acquisition of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellite data and analytical services, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.
“Comms, data relay, remote sensing, and even ISR and some other things — [these] capabilities are increasingly available in the commercial market,” Thompson said during the 2021 C4ISR Conference Wednesday.
The Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO) procures satellite bandwidth access from various commercial providers to meet the needs of operational commands and Thompson said providing the CSCO the authority to purchase ISR satellite analytical and data services seek to tap the capabilities offered by companies that are racing to launch satellite constellations.
Thompson added that the Space Force can apply to its own systems the technology and innovation offered and used by commercial providers.
