Space-Enabled Capabilities for Connecting and Collaborating in the Arctic

In the Arctic region, space capabilities that support navigation and timing, communications, and remote sensing will be vital in establishing persistent situational awareness while connecting and informing defense, commercial, and civilian interests. Over the past few years, a proliferation of existing and proposed commercial space capabilities in the High North have offered connectivity services across multiple orbits. This chapter examines growing complexities in the region—e.g., increased geopolitical rivalry, overlapping territorial claims, shifting alliances, and growing polarization among and between major global powers—and recommends sharing capabilities and flexible architectures that offer economy, security, and user flexibility for the United States and its allies. 

Authors: Karen L. Jones and Lina M. Cashin

This paper was published in Space Agenda 2025, an effort by the Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) at The Aerospace Corporation to highlight and provide insights into some of the major space challenges facing policymakers. You can read the entire list of Space Agenda 2025 papers here.