1. Buy Before You Build: A Decision Framework for Purchasing Commercial Space Services
- Author:
- Peter Cunniffe, Megan Lewis, and Bryan Clark
- Publication Date:
- 10-2023
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Hudson Institute
- Abstract:
- A recent wave of private investment in space creates new opportunities for government agencies to benefit from commercial innovation. Leaders of national security space acquisition organizations regularly express their intention to first buy commercial space capabilities and build government space systems only when they must.1 However, achieving greater use of commercial space services requires overcoming barriers that have thus far prevented the government from fully benefiting from private sector funding and creativity. This report assesses the increasingly wide range of commercial space services available to government agencies, identifies obstacles hindering greater use by the US government, and makes recommendations for overcoming them.2 While the report focuses on the US government use of commercial space services, its analysis and recommendations are relevant for governments of other space-faring nations.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, National Security, Space, and Investment
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America