Orbit of Opportunity: Harnessing Commercial Innovation for US National Security

By BENS Member Patrick Zeitouni and Initiatives Director Kyle Peterson, published in The National Interest. All rights reserved.

“Commercial space offers the United States a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize its defense posture, enhance resilience, and stay ahead of adversaries in the most dynamic warfighting domain of the 21st century.”

In March 2025, the US Space Force tracked five Chinese spacecraft executing coordinated maneuvers in low-Earth orbit—a live rehearsal for orbital combat, described by officials as “dogfighting in space.” This was not a scene from a sci-fi movie. It was a real-world warning. The next military frontier is unfolding above our heads, and America’s ability to maintain its defensive edge will depend on whether it can harness the full power of commercial space innovation.

Space has become a dynamic and contested domain of modern conflict. Recent events make that clear. In Ukraine, military units countered Russian cyberattacks by pivoting to Starlink satellite internet. A RAND report even concluded that Starlink’s contribution was so critical that some Ukrainian commanders believed the war might have been lost without it.

China, too, is investing heavily. It is building thousands of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites designed to track and potentially deny access to American naval forces near Taiwan and beyond. Chinese spacecraft shadow US government satellites across multiple orbits, challenging our sensing, command, and communications systems.

This rapid evolution in the space domain presents a challenge—but also a moment to act…

Photo via The National Interest