NATO Allies Begin Exploring Multinational Military Satellite Constellation

NATO nations will field a multinational satellite constellation for military operations including communications and surveillance. Eight allies announced the launch of a project to explore development of a mega-constellation called HALO at the alliance summit in Ankara. HALO stands for Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space.

It will focus on improving connectivity and integration of sovereign, nationally owned and controlled military satellites into a networked constellation. Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey are part of the effort.

The project aims to improve alliance resilience and military advantage in space, enabling high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking.

Individual satellite constellations run independently by member countries are vulnerable to cyberattacks, jamming or physical destruction and too slow to relay large amounts of data, Radmila Šekerinska, the NATO deputy secretary-general, said. “So this new model will be particularly helpful for high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking, overcoming the cost, the time and coverage limitations of single-nation satellite fleets,” she added.

Canada became the 15th member of NATO’s STARLIFT multinational initiative, which explores ways to develop a network of launch capabilities that will help allies launch assets on short notice from spaceports across the alliance.

Spain became the 19th country to join NATO’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space initiative and will contribute by increasing coastal surveillance through imagery from its Atlantic Constellation satellites. Turkey announced plans for the development of two additional high-resolution satellites to complement space capabilities in the region.