The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) provides credible, usable intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance information to government agencies. Government Matters’ Mimi Geerges interviewed NRO Director Dr. Christopher Scolese.
- The NRO provides the government, military, policy makers and analysts information from space by putting satellites into orbit around Earth, said Scolese.
- The office collects information about adversaries’ intentions, natural disasters, sea-level rise and other subjects, he said.
- Scolese said Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons threaten U.S. space systems so the NRO works to develop architectures that make those weapons less usable. He said it is important to get ahead of current technology.
- The NRO works with startups and small businesses with innovative ideas as well as companies with more mature products, said Scolese.
- He said the office is partnering with the United Kingdom on a launch, which will demonstrate that systems developed by and for the UK can be interoperable with U.S. systems.
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