The U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna introduced a $5 million program to connect emerging space nations with American companies, combining business outreach with work on international space policy.
Project Constellation was announced at the second annual U.S. Space Forum in Vienna and is expected to run for two years, Payload reported. Its planned activities include talent exchanges, delegation visits and training.
The Commercial Space Federation will lead commercial outreach, including efforts to promote procurement and partnerships with U.S. companies. SPACEAIMS will guide work on space law, policy and governance. Meridian International Center, the principal recipient, will coordinate the partners, program delivery and finances, according to Payload.
The State Department also seeks closer agreement among governments on civil and commercial space policy at the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly and the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, known as COPUOS, Payload reported. Potential outreach spans more than 70 countries, though plans for individual countries will be developed with partners.
U.S. Ambassador Wells Griffith of the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna outlined plans for investor engagement, innovation showcases and a competition for partnership proposals.
The initiative follows the State Department's September launch of the Space Catalyst Partnership, which is open to countries that have signed the Artemis Accords. That separate effort began with a $6.5 million award over two years, with satellite internet service in rural southern Peru as its goal, Payload reported.
Early outreach for Project Constellation will target U.S. foreign service officers and the embassy community. International leaders are expected to visit the United States, while American commercial space leaders are expected to travel to emerging space nations. The program also plans activities at the 2027 and 2028 U.S. Space Forums, Payload reported.
