The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is accelerating its use of commercial technology and launch services to strengthen U.S. space capabilities amid rapid changes in the industry, NRO Director Chris Scolese said Thursday.
Speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference, Scolese said the agency is focused on developing systems that provide the best possible information to policymakers, intelligence analysts, and military personnel.
“We need to take advantage of those technologies and deliver them to the nation to minimize the challenges and threats that are out there … Not a trivial task,” Scolese said, highlighting the growing role of commercial partners in meeting evolving mission needs.
He pointed to commercial launch as a major shift, noting that lower costs have increased launch frequency and enabled NRO to test new technologies more quickly.
“When launch was expensive, you didn’t want to put a cheap thing on an expensive booster,” Scolese said. “Now, we can put spacecraft up there at a higher pace, with shorter lives, to demonstrate technologies, demonstrate capabilities, and really allow us to mature those things that we’re going to want sometime in the future.”
Over the past two years, NRO has launched more than 200 satellites, an expansion that Scolese said has improved revisit rates, boosted persistence and enabled faster data processing and transmission.
“Overall, it’s allowed us to have a much more efficient architecture and deliver a much better product to the nation and the communities that rely on us,” he said.
Scolese acknowledged that the growth of commercial space ventures has increased competition for technical talent. But he said interest in the NRO remains strong, especially among students and early-career professionals who are drawn to the agency’s mission.
“When we tell them about our mission, there’s an excitement there,” he said.
The agency has also expanded efforts to develop its workforce, including an internship program launched in 2020 that involves students directly in satellite design, development, testing, operations, and research. About 35% of eligible former interns have been hired.