The Elara Edge

When Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks signed a memo to initiate changes in the Department of Defense’s (DOD) classification policy for space programs, the move marked a tangible moment in the push to adapt traditional classification policies for a modern space era. Historically, high classification thresholds for space-based capabilities were designed to protect Cold War-era secrets. But as the DOD has sought to extend Allied partnerships into the space domain, through programs like the Combined Space Operations Initative (CSpO), classified designations such as Special Access Programs (SAP) and No Foreign Dissemination (NOFORN) can - at times - compromise their effectiveness. 

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Elara Nova partners Lt Gen (Ret) Nina Armagno, former Director of Staff for the United States Space Force, and Lt Gen (Ret) John Shaw, former Deputy Commander of United States Space Command, break down the coming changes to the DOD's classification policy for space programs and how these changes will support extending Allied partnerships into the space domain through multinational efforts like the CSpO. 

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

From satellite imagery to G.P.S.-guided navigation, intelligence gathered from space has long facilitated military operations. But after space was declared a warfighting domain, intelligence agencies are now shifting their focus to supporting operations in space.  

For the United States Space Force, this shift is exemplified by the evolving mission concept known as SSA - or Space Situational Awareness - which prioritized identifying and tracking space-based objects as an operational task. But now, the DOD must leverage intelligence to understand their purposes and capabilities as well. As a result, SSA has evolved into what’s now known as Space Domain Awareness - or SDA - an emerging imperative that is blurring the lines between two previously distinct military responsibilities - intelligence and operations - into a whole new, integrated mission requirement of "operational intelligence."  

In this episode of, “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” Elara Nova partner Sean Kirkpatrick, PhD, former Deputy Director of Intelligence at US Strategic Command and US Space Command, explains how the Space Domain Awareness mission is introducing a new "Operational Intelligence," requirement for the Space Force, its Allies and partners. 

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

Considered the ‘backbone’ of space operations, the Satellite Control Network (SCN) is the network of ground system antennas that enable command and control communications between operators on Earth and the Department of Defense (DOD) satellites on-orbit. But an increasingly populated space environment, coupled with chronic under-funding and advancing satellite technology, is overextending the SCN’s capacity to support national security space needs. Now, Elara Nova is leveraging its platform to advocate for modernizing the SCN, setting an industry-leading precedent for thought leadership with its inaugural White Paper, “Time for a New Approach with the Satellite Control Network.” 

In this episode of “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” Elara Nova founding partner Maj Gen (Ret) Roger Teague and partner Col (Ret) Mark Hughes, co-authors of the White Paper, elaborate on their call-to-action for modernizing the Satellite Control Network and what their research means for Elara Nova's thought leadership in national security space. 

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

At the start of 2024, the United States’ adversaries projected an ambitious launch cadence for putting space assets into orbit: China has planned 100 launches, while Russia has planned over 40 launches of its own. Due to what is often blurred lines between military, civil and commercial space programs for these nation-states, the true nature of these launches can be difficult to ascertain. Meanwhile, through its own National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, the United States has planned 21 launches in 2024 - nearly double its 2023 launch cadence. Altogether, these escalating launch cadences represent the operational imperative to maintain “Assured Access to Space,” (AATS), that has been a trademark of the United State’s space superiority for the past several decades. 

In this episode of “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” retired General Lester L. Lyles, senior principal advisor at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, shares his perspective on how the DOD is adapting its launch capabilities to maintain Assured Access to Space. Today’s episode is the third of three installments of a Special Edition Series marking the first anniversary of Elara Nova as an emerging leader in national security space.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

The strength of America’s defense industrial base propelled the United States and its Allies to victory through much of the 20th century. Then after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the U.S. became the sole world power and made changes to the acquisition process that favored perceived efficiency, over military effectiveness. 

In the decades since, the U.S. defense industrial base experienced offshoring and atrophy that has enabled potential adversaries to develop their own space-based capabilities, while simultaneously capturing key elements of the Department of Defense (DOD) supply chain. In response, the DOD has set out its new National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) to rejuvenate the defense industrial base and maintain its strategic military advantage.  

In this episode of “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” retired General John E. Hyten, senior principal advisor at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, provides insight and analysis on the NDIS and how its implementation with enable the DOD to maintain strategic military advantage. Today’s episode is the second of three installments of a Special Edition Series marking the first anniversary of Elara Nova as an emerging leader in national security space.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

The power of integrating space-based capabilities into Joint Force operations captivated the world during the first “space war,” the Gulf War of 1990-1991. Since then, space’s significance to military operations has only increased, accelerating through the post-9/11 era and culminating with the creation of the United States Space Force in 2019. Now, the Department of Defense’s (DOD) newest military service is solidifying its role in bringing space-based capabilities to the Joint Fight after being identified as the “Integrator” for Joint Space Requirements, as described in the 2023 Comprehensive Strategy for the Space Force. 

In this episode of “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” retired General "DT" Thompson, senior principal advisor at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, shares his perspective on the Comprehensive Strategy and what it says about the Space Force's emerging role in the Joint Fight. Today’s episode is the first of three installments of a Special Edition Series marking the first anniversary of Elara Nova as an emerging leader in national security space.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

Two barriers to entry have historically defined the relationship between capital markets and the space sector: the need for significant upfront capital and long return on investment (ROI) timelines. These barriers have created a hot-and-cold dynamic between capital markets and the space sector, as demonstrated by Space Capital’s Space Investment Quarterly: Q4 2023 report that found the space economy witnessed a private equity investment of $17.9 billion in 2023, a year-over-year decline of 25 percent compared to 2022.

But projections for the space economy not only remain high, they are quickly accelerating. A recent report by the World Economic Forum and the McKinsey & Company found that the space economy will reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, half a decade sooner than the $1 trillion projection set out by Morgan Stanley last year. As a result, new business opportunities are quickly emerging as a commercial launch market enables cheaper access to space and the Department of Defense (DOD) shifts toward a proliferation of assets across the next warfighting domain.

In this episode of “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” Eddie Papczun, founding partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, and Kirk Konert, managing partner at AE Industrial Partners, discuss this hot-and-cold dynamic, as well as the ancillary market opportunities emerging in the space sector.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

The majority of military space assets on-orbit today, were built during an uncontested space era, and the ground systems currently supporting them are increasingly inhibited by outdated technology. Now, an emerging imperative for dynamic space operations, means the Space Force must not only develop new, manueverable satellites, but also implement a ground systems network with reliable command and control communication links to operate them. To this end, the Space Rapid Capabilities Office and Space Systems Command are coming together to create a new, software-based ground system, called Rapid Resilient Command and Control or R2C2.

In this episode of “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” former Major General Mike Carey, a partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, shares his point of view on R2C2 and the role of ground systems and their command and control capability to facilitate dynamic space operations.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

 Space Systems Command recently revealed details from its Parallax Rising 2.2 tabletop exercise, which explored the emerging requirement to maneuver satellites in space. The exercise focused on developing solutions for “Dynamic Space Operations,” an operational concept advocated by retired Lieutenant General John E. Shaw. While the capacity to maneuver is not new as a warfighting concept, Parallax Rising 2.2 reflects how the Space Force is adjusting its operations approach based on an increasingly congested and hostile space domain.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Major General (Ret.) Brook Leonard, partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, discusses the significance of the dynamic space operations requirement for Joint Force operations and how the recent Parallax Rising 2.2 tabletop exercise is an initial step in acquiring broader DSO capability. 

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.

As space evolves into an increasingly hostile warfighting domain, rapid response capability is becoming an essential part of Department of Defense (DOD) operations. That’s why when the Space Force and its industry partners successfully fielded, launched and initiated satellite operations during its Victus Nox demonstration, the record-setting feat foreshadowed the emerging significance of the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission. But to assert “responsive space” capability effectively, the Space Force must account for the unexpected, while at the same time collaborating with its commercial launch and satellite partners to facilitate TacRS mission success.

In this episode of The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security, Elara Nova Senior Partner Col (Ret.) Rob Bongiovi shares his perspective on the role of launch in the TacRS process, and emphasizes that launch is just one factor – albeit an integral one – in establishing TacRS capability.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted and produced by Scott King of Elara Nova. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.