NEW HORIZON Act

Key Points

• The NEW HORIZON Act requires the Department of Defense to start a five-year test program for orbital data centers. These are essentially cloud computing servers located in space rather than on the ground. This would allow the military to process information from satellites much faster than they can today.
• Currently, military satellites must send huge amounts of data back to Earth to be analyzed, which can be slow and creates risks if ground stations are attacked. Processing data directly in space would help the military make quicker decisions during missions and keep communications running even if ground networks are disrupted.
• The Defense Innovation Unit will work with private space companies to test these servers in real-world scenarios like intelligence gathering and satellite navigation. The program aims to see if commercial technology can meet the high security and reliability standards needed for national defense.
• Because the program handles sensitive information, it must use advanced security measures like encryption and zero-trust systems to prevent hacking. The bill also requires protections against physical threats, such as electronic jamming or anti-satellite weapons that could target the orbital servers.
• The pilot program will last for five years. By the end of 2028, defense officials must give Congress a full report on how the technology performed and whether the military should start using space-based data centers as a permanent part of their operations.

Impact Analysis

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