Read the Full Report: The Future of U.S. National Security in Space
5 Steps to Maintain American Edge in Space
Christopher D. Roberti
Senior Vice President for Cyber, Space, and National Security Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Published
September 23, 2026
Space has become essential infrastructure for both America’s economy and its national security. And as threats evolve, low Earth orbit (LEO) is playing an increasingly important role in how the United States communicates, gathers intelligence, tracks emerging threats, and maintains its military advantage.
A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce report, Low Earth Orbit: The New High Ground of National Security, examines how commercial innovation is reshaping America’s national security space architecture and what policymakers must do to sustain U.S. leadership.
The war in Ukraine demonstrated the value of proliferated LEO constellations in real-world conditions. Commercial satellite communications and remote sensing provided resilient connectivity and critical intelligence even as terrestrial infrastructure came under attack. At the same time, advances in satellite manufacturing, reusable launch, artificial intelligence, and software-defined systems are enabling the United States to deploy and update space capabilities at speeds and a scale that were not possible a generation ago.
The report argues that the future of American space power is not a choice between LEO and traditional architectures in medium or geosynchronous Earth orbit. It is a layered, interoperable architecture that combines the strengths of all three while drawing on the innovation and capacity of America’s commercial space industry.
To maintain that advantage, the U.S. Chamber calls on policymakers to:
- Strengthen the space industrial base
- Expand access to launch infrastructure
- Prioritize commercial capabilities where they already exist
- Promote open and interoperable systems
- Pursue policies that allow industry-led innovation and space safety practices to scale
Download the report and recommendations below.
The Chamber is grateful to Kimberly Siversen Burke, Director of Government Affairs at Quilty Space, for her many valuable contributions to this report. We appreciate the partnership.
Christopher D. Roberti
Senior Vice President
Cyber, Space, and National Security Policy
John P. Neil
Vice President
Space Policy
Benjamin N. Kron
Senior Manager,
Space Policy
Keith B. Webster
President,
Defense and Aerospace Council
President,
Federal Acquisition Council
Read the Full Report: The Future of U.S. National Security in Space
5 Steps to Maintain American Edge in Space
About the authors
Christopher D. Roberti
Christopher D. Roberti is senior vice president for Cyber, Space, and National Security Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
John Neal
John Neal serves as the Executive Director for Space Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he leads the Chamber’s Space Industry Council.
Benjamin Kron
Ben Kron serves as a Senior Manager of Cyber, Space and NatSec Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
