The U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) Front Door office has launched a new initiative that is designed to enhance unclassified threat-information-sharing with commercial space companies.
On March 21st, Front Door launched Orbital Watch, its rapid communication platform, and released an unclassified threat fact sheet authored by Headquarters Space Force Intelligence to more than 900 commercial providers in the Front Door’s catalog. As space threats continue to evolve—from cyber intrusions and electronic warfare to adversarial on-orbit activities—Orbital Watch intends to communicate critical unclassified threat information to ensure commercial providers can build resilient systems and mitigate threats.
This initiative is in direct alignment with the DoD Commercial Space Integration Strategy and the USSF Commercial Space Strategy, as well as congressional guidance,” said Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader, SSC Commercial Space Office. “Front Door has vast ties to industry right now and a clear mechanism for communicating threat information. The goal is sharing threat information in a timely manner, and Front Door is well equipped to do that.”
In an era of increasing threats, Orbital Watch is the culmination of partnerships with various organizations within the government intelligence community, such as the Director of National Intelligence, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Space Force Intelligence Office and the Commercial Integration Cell – a commercial integration cell within the U.S. Space Command. Front Door is taking decisive steps to strengthen collaboration with commercial space providers, improve collective situational awareness, and enhance overall resilience in the space domain.
Front Door is moving out on this essential effort,” said Victor Vigliotti, director, SSC Front Door. “We are providing our commercial partners the information needed to increase system resilience and mitigate threats, both of which are foundational to the successful integration of commercial space capabilities in national security space architectures. Front Door is the USSF organization with the technological capability and authority to disseminate unclassified threat information to a growing catalog of commercial space providers in a timely and organized manner.”
Orbital Watch will roll out in phases. Its initial operating capability, or beta phase, is focused on outbound dissemination on a quarterly basis that provides industry with assessments of evolving risks in the space domain. As Front Door works to identify and consolidate additional sources of unclassified threat information, Orbital Watch’s cadence of dissemination will increase, ensuring commercial operators receive timely and actionable threat information.
The full operational capability phase of Orbital Watch will introduce a secure “Commercial Portal,” enabling two-way threat information sharing between the government and commercial space providers deemed critical to Space Force operations.
The launch of Orbital Watch truly marks the beginning of a new age for threat information sharing and solves a critical challenge for both the government and industry,” said Vigliotti. “U.S. adversaries are moving fast; we need to move faster. Orbital Watch is essential in developing collaborative and dynamically hybrid security architectures, which starts with commercial partners’ security and resiliency with lasting effects that will ensure our warfighters and operations remain protected from growing space threats.”