NATO’s approach to space operations has crossed a significant threshold with the Space Centre of Excellence now declared fully operational, following the formal opening of its permanent facility in France earlier this month. The development consolidates three years of institutional build-up into a standing capability designed to shape how the Alliance thinks, trains and plans in the space domain.
The inauguration, held on 19 January, brought together senior NATO leadership and French defence officials, underlining the political and military weight now attached to space within allied defence planning. Rather than marking a starting point, the ceremony effectively confirmed the Centre’s transition from establishment phase to operational contributor within NATO’s wider command structure.
From Legal Framework To Functional Capability
The Centre’s operational status rests on foundations laid in January 2023, when fifteen sponsoring nations signed the memorandum of understanding that created the organisation. Since then, staffing, governance and technical expertise have been progressively assembled to support NATO’s expanding space agenda.
Reaching full operational capability in 2026 signals that the Centre is now positioned to deliver sustained outputs rather than pilot activity. Those outputs are expected to feed directly into alliance-wide planning, education and standardisation efforts, reflecting a broader shift in NATO thinking that treats space as an operational domain alongside land, sea, air and cyberspace.
Doctrine, Training And Analysis At The Core
The Space Centre of Excellence operates across four core functional areas:
- Concept development and experimentation
- Doctrine and standardisation
- Education and training
- Analytical work, including lessons learned
Through these pillars, the organisation contributes studies, analysis and doctrinal products to allied nations.
One of its most influential roles is acting as NATO’s department head for the space discipline and custodian of the Allied Joint Doctrine for Space Operations. This places the Centre at the centre of how common language, procedures and assumptions around military space activity are developed across the Alliance.
Looking Beyond The Opening Ceremony
Attention is already turning to the Centre’s next phase of activity, including preparation for the second NATO Space Centre of Excellence Conference. The event is intended to convene military leaders, policymakers and industry specialists to address emerging challenges in space security.
While the January inauguration provided a visible symbol of progress, the more consequential change lies in the Centre’s new operational status. With structures now in place, NATO has signalled that space power is no longer an abstract future concern, but a discipline requiring permanent institutions, shared doctrine and sustained multinational investment.
