More than half of the (30) members of the NATO alliance, in a total of 16 countries, including Finland, Sweden and Spain, have agreed to launch a virtual network of national and commercial satellites to collect data from space.
NATO argues that “persistent surveillance of space” will “facilitate better navigation, communications and detection of missile launches,” according to a statement released after the announcement of the virtual satellite network during the NATO defense ministers meeting, Wednesday fair in Brussels. .
The transatlantic organization believes the initiative “will transform the way NATO collects and uses data from space, significantly improve information surveillance and intelligence” and provide “essential support to allied missions and operations.”
In addition to Finland, Sweden and Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States have agreed to participate in the project.
Called ‘Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space’, or persistent surveillance from space, the initiative involves a virtual platform of “domestic and commercial space assets, such as satellites, taking advantage of the latest advances” in commercial space technology, according to the document.
“This will help simplify the collection, sharing and analysis of data between NATO allies and with the NATO command structure, generating cost savings,” NATO says, explaining that it was Luxembourg’s anticipated contribution of 16.5 million euros, which “laid the foundations for the initiative”.
Source: TSF
