NRO’s new proliferated spy satellite constellation moving into ‘operational phase’
The National Reconnaissance Office is transitioning its new proliferated constellation of surveillance and intelligence-gathering satellites from initial demonstration phases to using them in real operational settings, NRO Director Chris Scolese said Thursday.
Since May, NRO has completed three of six launches planned for 2024 that have put operational satellites on orbit for the proliferated constellation, which is expected to enhance the office’s ability to capture and deliver space-based data for military users. Prior to launching the first batches of operational satellites this year, NRO began a series of on-orbit demonstrations with prototypes in June 2023 to verify the constellation’s performance and cost.
“From last June to December this year, we’ll have probably launched 100 satellites. So, we are going from the demo phase to the operational phase, where we’re really going to be able to start testing all of this stuff out in a more operational way,” Scolese said at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Envisioned as a constellation comprising hundreds of satellites stationed across multiple orbits, NRO’s proliferated architecture is part of the office’s broader plan to drastically increase the number of space vehicles it operates over the next decade. The shift to larger constellations of low-cost satellites is one happening across the space sector, including both in the national security and commercial industries.