Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson said the U.S. Space Force will expand the responsibilities of one of its offices to cover assessment and acquisition of commercial space services in addition to its oversight of commercial satellite communications, C4ISRNET reported Wednesday.
Speaking at the MilSat Symposium, Thompson shared that the Commercial Satellite Communications Office will turn into a “commercial services office” following the replacement of the Space and Missile Systems Center with Space Systems Command.
The new office will be responsible for procuring satellite imagery, satellite communications, space situational awareness data and other services from the industry, and assessing how the military acquires new commercial capabilities.
Thompson cited the intelligence community's history of using commercial satellite imagery. The Space Force has similarly been acquiring services from the industry to support its missions, according to him.