Space-based intelligence is increasingly moving from headquarters down to the tactical edge.

The shift is giving frontline operators direct access to commercial satellite imagery that was once available only to intelligence analysts, dramatically reducing the time it takes to deliver intelligence to the battlefield.

“For a while, it was really just in some of the larger headquarters offices, some of the more exquisite buildings, but now it is pushing down to the end user and the operator. Traditionally, satellite imagery moved through agencies, commands and centralized analytics teams before reaching the operator,” Michael Bergen, vice president of air and space at Vantor, said during Federal News Network’s Space and Satellite Exchange 2026.

“Now, there is really a more direct model that we are seeing, and that direct models with frontline users can initiate collection and work from the same information that analysts behind the front lines use. So they get access to exquisite imagery and tasking that was once reserved just for analysts behind closed doors,” he added.

Speeding data, details to users at mission speed

In Ukraine, commercial space capabilities are fundamentally transforming battlefield operations.

“Commercial space can help commanders buy back time. This is not theoretical. A process that once took days can now happen in hours,” Bergen said.

Frontline troops can bypass slow traditional command channels, request commercial satellite imagery from their handheld devices, receive updated images in less than an hour and combine the imagery with drone feeds and 3D terrain data, Bergen explained.

“This is a real decision advantage. It’s not just simply collecting more data; it is shortening the distance between sensor, the analyst and the operator’s need to act. That’s what we’re seeing in Ukraine right now. From our perspective, commercial capabilities really provide scale, frequent collection and unclassified information that can be shared more easily across services, allies and devices. The strongest model combines that commercial speed and scale with the government’s internal mission knowledge — authorities’ specialized capabilities,” Bergen said.

“I believe the next war will be fought over TAK, the team awareness kit, and we’re seeing this in Ukraine,” he added.

Blending AI, human knowledge

Artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in that process by identifying changes in satellite imagery, prioritizing areas for review and helping analysts focus on the information most relevant to the mission.

The goal, Bergen said, is not autonomous targeting or removing people from the process but using AI to help analysts process information more quickly and with more pertinent information.

“Our goal is to connect the satellites, drones and 3D data analysts and operators. So those warfighters on the ground receive a clearer picture. That’s a lot faster. Then, input the human judgment — that remains central to our capability,” he said.

As the volume of commercial satellite imagery continues to grow, Bergen noted that commercial imagery should no longer be viewed just as a supplemental capability used only when government resources are stretched thin. Instead, it should serve as a foundational layer of military intelligence.

Building resilient space architecture

As the Space Force continues to build a more resilient and proliferated space architecture, Bergen said the newest military branch is well positioned to adopt commercial capabilities that “other service components haven’t thought of.” Those systems can add collection capacity, reducing reliance on any single system.

“Resilience comes from having multiple sensors providing different pathways and different ways to new information, not depending on one exquisite system or one path back to the centralized headquarters. These commercial systems can add capacity, geographic diversity and technology to improve the intelligence cycle. So it is the idea of two is one and one is none,” he said.

“We have these exquisite systems, but commercial assets can add resilience and redundancy to those systems and get it down to the actual warfighter much quicker.”

Bergen pointed to the Space Force’s Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking Office (TacSRT) as an example of how the service is integrating commercial capabilities into military operations. The organization rapidly delivers unclassified operational planning products using commercially available sensors, bypassing slow intelligence networks to move information to combatant commands and frontline operators.

“It’s exciting time to be part of the commercial industry and aligned with the Space Force’s TacSRT team,” Bergen said.

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