Steven Butow: Space Force Capable of Embracing Commercial Technology

The Defense Innovation Unit’s space portfolio director said the U.S. Space Force is capable of adopting commercial products and services despite its relatively nascent nature.

Speaking at the SmallSat Symposium on Feb. 7, Steven Butow, a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, shared that the Space Force is embracing commercial technologies, giving companies a chance to showcase their capabilities. However, Butow cautioned that despite the Space Force’s willingness to accept commercial technologies, traditional acquisition processes and regulations from the Department of Defense, as well as the defense budget’s prioritization of programs of record, make non-traditional procurement challenging.

He urged the commercial space sector to manage their expectations while promising that the USSF will embrace change, SpaceNews reported Monday.

Butow’s comments came a month after Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations, announced that the service is finalizing a strategy for working with the commercial space industry. The guidance includes, among others, commercial space technology acquisition, data procurement, asset ownership and the division of responsibilities between the government and commercial entities.