NATO and Multinational Buying
How do NATO and multinational programmes buy Earth observation, and could they become a large single customer?
Chapter summary
NATO has historically relied on member states' national systems and on intelligence shared by them, but since 2022 it has moved to buy and coordinate commercial space data directly.
Key takeaways
- 1
Its Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) initiative, launched in 2023 with a majority of allies participating, pools national and commercial satellite data into a "virtual constellation".
- 2
The EU's Satellite Centre (SatCen) in Spain buys commercial imagery for EU missions.
- 3
Multinational buying is still small compared with national budgets, but it standardises requirements and creates demand for interoperable products, which favours operators with allied security approvals.
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Government Demand II: Defence Beyond the United States
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