It's been one year since Chief of Space Operations, General B. Chance Saltzman, announced the United States Space Force was creating “Integrated Mission Deltas,” or IMDs, as part of the service's Line of Effort #3 – Partner to Win edict. The new IMD model serves as a primary example of how the Space Force is leveraging partnerships internally to enhance readiness within specific space mission areas.

But the military's newest service is also leveraging partnerships externally, as well. The Space Force is currently assessing its relationship to the various Combatant Commands - including a review of what future space component to United States Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) might look like.

Now, this revitalized emphasis on partnerships is spreading to other elements of the Department of Defense (DOD). In recognition of the inherently interconnected space and cyber domains, CYBERCOM entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to streamline the development and adoption of innovative cybersecurity technologies against an ever-evolving near-term threat.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Maj Gen (Ret) Kim Crider, Founding Partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, is joined by Lt Gen (Ret) Kevin McLaughlin, Partner at Elara Nova, to explain how the innovative IMD model demonstrates one of the many ways the Space Force – and the DOD writ large – is initiating new partnerships to ensure mission readiness across time horizons to be responsive to the threat.

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

SpaceWERX, the space innovation arm of AFWERX, recently announced the nine recipients of its first funding opportunity specifically tailored to bring space capabilities across the ‘Valley of Death,’ or the difficult transition of scaling a high-potential capability into a formal program of record.

The funding opportunity comes through two programs: the Strategic Funding Increase or (STRATFI) and the Tactical Funding Increase or (TACFI). STRATFI and TACFI are designed to accelerate funding for start-ups and small businesses already receiving Small Business Innovation Research or (SBIR) grants, by matching those grants with additional funds from the Department of Defense (DOD) and private capital partners - an influx of cash that can help these businesses develop these capabilities and overcome the Valley of Death.

Now, AFWERX is leveraging these funding programs through its SpaceWERX division to accelerate the acquisition of space capabilities for the warfighter.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Elara Nova founding partner Maj Gen (Ret) Roger Teague is joined by fellow partners Rear Adm (Ret) Boris Becker and Jim Sullivan to discuss how Valley of Death challenges affect start-ups and small businesses in the emerging space industry and how the STRATFI/TACFI Programs aim to catalyze funding to find, fund and field space capabilities for the warfighter.

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

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 by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. 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 by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. 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 by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. 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 by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. 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 by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. 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 by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.