Satellite services for defence and government
Government and military organisations are the satellite industry's most demanding and highest-value customers — requiring the highest levels of availability, security, anti-jamming protection, and global coverage. The US Department of Defense alone spends over $10 billion annually on space programmes and is one of the largest single buyers of commercial satellite bandwidth globally, supplementing dedicated MILSATCOM with commercial COMSATCOM to meet surge demand.
Key applications
Communications: Secure command and control, battlefield communications, forward area connectivity, and logistics management via dedicated MILSATCOM (WGS, Skynet, AEHF) and commercial augmentation. ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance): High-resolution optical imagery (NRO systems, commercial Maxar/Airbus products), SAR imagery for all-weather operations, SIGINT collection, and persistent wide-area surveillance. Navigation and precision timing: GPS selective availability (SA) was switched off in 2000; military users now rely on the encrypted M-code signal that remains available even when the civilian signal is jammed. Missile warning: US Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) GEO and HEO satellites provide ballistic missile launch detection with sub-minute alert. Space situational awareness: Tracking adversary satellites, debris, and debris from weapons tests.
Commercial satellite sector engagement
The boundary between commercial and government space is increasingly blurred. The Ukraine conflict demonstrated that commercial Starlink could provide battlefield communications at scale, commercial MAXAR imagery supported open-source intelligence, and commercial Planet Labs provided daily change detection for conflict damage assessment. This has driven NATO, the UK MOD, and the US DoD to develop strategies for systematically incorporating commercial satellite capabilities into military planning.