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Orbital Watch to Enable Sharing of Classified Threat Information
Space Force Front Door Facilitating Engagement Across Commercial Space Industry
An increasingly congested and contested space domain means that commercial space companies must now protect their on-orbit systems from a variety of threats. Today’s space operators must not only account for incidental collisions with space debris, but also prepare for a series of counterspace threats ranging from cyber and electronic warfare attacks to kinetic strikes. Meanwhile, the inherently dual-use nature of space systems, which often support both national security and economic purposes, further reinforces the imperative that the United States Space Force communicates with its industry partners to ensure resiliency of our nation’s space capabilities. Now a new Space Force program, Orbital Watch, aims to facilitate greater information-sharing of both classified and unclassified threats with industry partners.
“Orbital Watch is an initiative to communicate threat information with commercial vendors to help them manage risks to their on-orbit assets, ” said Elara Nova partner Col (Ret) Charlie McGillis, the former Director of Intelligence at 14th Air Force (Space). “The first phase of the program is a one-way communication channel where a commercial company can register to receive unclassified threat information. But this first phase doesn’t allow vendors to ask questions about – or contribute to – that threat assessment. So in phase two, Orbital Watch will have a secure ‘Commercial Portal’ that will further enable a two-way flow of classified information where commercial providers can not only ask those follow-up questions, but actually share threat information that they’re seeing with the Space Force.”
Originally announced in April, Orbital Watch already disseminated an unclassified threat fact sheet to over 900 companies in phase one. But as the threat environment rapidly advances, so too does the imperative for the Space Force and its industry partners to reach phase two of the program. That’s why Space Force officials recently announced a “Tiger Team” that is collaborating with space industry stakeholders to develop the phase two Commercial Portal to facilitate secure, two-way information-sharing of classified threats.
“If industry partners are going to support the U.S. government and our Allies, they need to understand what is going on in the space environment,” McGillis said. “At the same time, commercial space companies can also warn the Space Force if an attack is happening to their systems. But they need a mechanism to share that information and phase two of the Orbital Watch program will be that mechanism.”
A Lesson Learned from a Real-World Attack
The need for a program like Orbital Watch was recognized in part by Russia’s cyberattack against ViaSat’s KA-SAT satellite communications network at the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The cyberattack, deployed as a “denial-of-service” attack one hour before the invasion, essentially overwhelmed the commercial network the Ukrainian army relied on to communicate.
But according to the CyberPeace Institute, the cyberattack also affected commercial companies, as well. A German energy company lost access to over 5,800 wind turbines and a French internet service provider’s nearly 9,000 subscribers lost service. Another roughly 13,000 internet users also lost access across Europe in Hungary, Greece, Italy and Poland, as well. The wide-ranging effect of the cyberattack demonstrates the dual-use nature of satellites for not only military, but also commercial purposes.
“When Viasat’s satellites experienced jamming at the start of the invasion, that provided an early indication or warning that something nefarious was happening,” McGillis said. “Even though ViaSat is a member of the Commercial Integration Cell, a program like Orbital Watch would disseminate this information to a far broader audience of commercial space operators informing them of the attack so that any jamming they experience might not be incidental.”
Now, threats in space are continuing to evolve. Dynamic space operations rely on capabilities like rapid and unpredictable maneuverability, advanced propulsion, on-orbit re-fueling, modular upgrades and enhanced command and control. Chinese satellites have been seen conducting complex “dogfighting” maneuvers in low Earth orbit, with groups of satellites spiraling, braking and repositioning around each other and other nations’ satellites to practice counterspace tactics.
“China maneuvered two satellites, the Shijan-21 and Shijan-25, into extremely close proximity to each other in what was probably a satellite refueling experiment in GEO,” McGillis said. “Then their TJ-S series of experimental spacecraft conducted a similar rendezvous and proximity operation near a U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellite. China might say these capabilities are intended to serve an economic purpose, but these capabilities can certainly be modified to serve a counterspace purpose as well.”
Information-Sharing Opportunities and Challenges
In response to this heightened threat environment in space, Orbital Watch is just one of the latest programs the Space Force is using to share threat information with commercial space providers. Other programs include the Joint Commercial Operation Cell (JCO) and the Commercial Integration Cell (CIC). Further, the USSF collaborates closely with the commercially driven Space Information and Warfighting Analysis Center (Space ISAC) to share information.
While each program serves a unique purpose, all together they present a wide-ranging set of solutions to facilitate better information-sharing.
“Phase one of Orbital Watch is providing a basic, one-way sharing of unclassified threat information with commercial space companies,” McGillis said. “The JCO goes one step further, requiring training to receive unclassified space domain awareness information for companies supporting national security space missions. Then there’s the CIC, which is an invite-only opportunity for commercial companies already on-contract with the Space Force to receive classified threat information as they support Combatant Commands. Meanwhile, the Space ISAC is a ‘pay-to-play’ model where member companies can provide or receive sensitive, but unclassified information with each other.”
But when the secure Commercial Portal is rolled out in phase two of Orbital Watch, it will provide the most direct and comprehensive platform for companies to engage the Space Force about classified threats. Until it is fully implemented, however, a series of challenges still need to be overcome.
“Sharing classified information is not easy: you have to be on a secure line, in a specific place and have relevant security clearances,” McGillis said. “Not all vendors can store that classified information, either – that requires special permissions. So the Space Force needs to figure out how to communicate threat information with commercial space operators who don’t have an existing DD254 contract, which essentially grants a company’s access to classified information.”
But once done effectively, Orbital Watch will bring about four distinct advantages for the Space Force, according to McGillis.
“The first advantage is enhanced national security and space capabilities, because sustained partnerships with industry is crucial for the U.S to maintain its edge in space for both national security and economic purposes. The second advantage is greater commercial integration into national security space architectures, which will directly improve the third advantage of increasing the overall operational effectiveness of those architectures. Lastly, the fourth advantage is a clear role distinction between government-controlled missions and commercial-supported missions.”
Orbital Watch Demonstrates Strategy in Action
Orbital Watch is being stood up through Space System Command’s (SSC) Front Door program, which was first created in 2023 as a means for commercial space companies to initiate contact with SSC about their capability needs. Now, after more than 14,000 companies have engaged SSC through this effort, Front Door has been re-launched as Space Force Front Door to serve as the industry’s first point of contact across the entire service, as well.
“The Front Door program is a one-stop shop for commercial space companies that want to do business with the Space Force,” said McGillis. “It’s appropriate for Orbital Watch to be part of the Front Door because they have the rolodex of space companies. Some of these companies may not have classified security clearances yet, but are developing capabilities that could still support the Space Force on classified missions. That’s why it’s important to get Orbital Watch to a phase two classified level, which will enable better information-sharing and more meaningful conversations.”
Orbital Watch, and the broader Front Door initiative, further reflects the revitalized effort by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Space Force to better integrate with its industry partners – as signaled in the DOD’s Commercial Space Integration Strategy and the Space Force’s Commercial Space Strategy.
“Orbital Watch aligns with both strategies,” McGillis said. “General Saltzman frequently says he can’t accomplish his mission without the commercial partnerships outlined in the DOD strategy, whereas the Space Force strategy focuses on service-specific use cases to foster effective collaboration and integration between government and industry through unclassified threat information-sharing. Orbital Watch will allow these commercial partners to integrate and operate their secure, resilient space systems into our national security space architectures.”
Now, as more and more companies look to enter the projected $1.8 trillion space economy, the Front Door and Orbital Watch programs will also have to grow. That’s where Elara Nova, with its portfolio of military and commercial space experts, can help established and emerging space companies better engage the Space Force.
“Elara Nova can act as a critical bridge between the Space Force and the commercial partners by enabling this improved data sharing framework, particularly considering current operational needs and the historical challenge with classification in the space domain,” McGillis said. “It’s important for the Space Force to share threat information with our commercial partners. So Elara Nova can help companies navigate the security clearance process so they can become responsible space operators in support of Space Force missions.”
Elara Nova is a global consultancy and professional services firm focused on helping businesses and government agencies maximize the strategic advantages of the space and aeronautics domain. Learn more at https://elaranova.com/.