- NATO wants eight allies to share satellite power without giving up national control
- HALO aims to link military satellites for faster communications and missile tracking
- NATO says isolated satellite fleets remain vulnerable to jamming, cyber attack and destruction
NATO has confirmed plans to build a joint satellite constellation designed to strengthen military communications, surveillance and missile tracking across the alliance.
The initiative, called HALO, was unveiled at the recent NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, and brings together eight member nations under a single space framework.
Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey have all agreed to participate in this new space project.
NATO seeks a more resilient military space network
HALO, Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space, is intended to connect national satellite systems while allowing participating countries to retain ownership and control.
Officials say individual satellite constellations, operated independently of member states, remain vulnerable to cyber attacks, jamming and physical destruction during conflict.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska said such fragmented systems are also too slow to relay large amounts of data effectively.
“So this new model will be particularly useful for high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking, overcoming the cost, time and coverage limitations of single-nation satellite fleets,” she added.
HALO therefore aims to improve how allied space assets work together during military operations.
The project could also allow NATO members to combine national capabilities without creating a single satellite fleet controlled by one country.
“I am really pleased to announce … HALO, opening a new chapter in allied space operations,” Šekerinska said.
Canada and other allies expand space commitments
The announcement came alongside several other space-related commitments made during the NATO Summit’s Defense Industry Forum in Ankara.
Canada became the 15th NATO member to join STARLIFT, a multinational initiative exploring launch capabilities to rapidly send allied assets into orbit.
The program seeks to develop access to launch services from spaceports across the alliance, potentially giving NATO members more options when deploying satellites at short notice.
The effort is separate from HALO, but reflects the broader effort to strengthen allied space infrastructure.
Spain also became the 19th country to join NATO’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space initiative, pledging to support coastal surveillance through images provided by its Atlantic constellation satellites.
Turkey, meanwhile, announced plans to develop two more high-resolution satellites to expand regional space capabilities.
These separate commitments show how NATO members pursue both shared networks and national systems at the same time.
HALO remains in the exploratory stage, meaning that the participating allies have not yet established a final constellation design, deployment plan or confirmed satellite count.
Its success will depend on whether different national systems can share data securely while maintaining sovereign control.
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