In November 2022, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering commissioned the Defense Science Board (DSB) to study the commercial space market and how their systems can be leveraged to support Department of Defense (DOD) objectives.

The study came in direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year, when commercial space systems provided critical capabilities in support of Ukraine’s defense. However, the use of these commercial space systems in Ukraine was not planned in advance, but rather occurred organically at the onset of the invasion.

Now, the DOD wants to apply the lessons learned in Ukraine to capitalize on similar opportunities to integrate commercial space capabilities into their own military requirements.

In this episode of, “The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security,” Mike Dickey, Founding Partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, joins Dr. Brad Tousley, a partner at Elara Nova and member of the Defense Science Board (DSB), to explore the DSB's "Final Report on Commercial Space System Access and Integrity," which offers a pathway toward integrating commercial space capabilities into military planning and requirements.

"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.