The United States and Egypt are extending their decades-long defense partnership to include space domain cooperation.

The Bright Star series of joint exercises exemplifies this enduring cooperation.

Bright Star exercises have served as the bedrock of US-Egypt military cooperation since 1980.

Conducted roughly every two years, each iteration draws participants from dozens of countries.

The exercise focuses on cross-domain interoperability and large-scale field training exercises.

The most recent iteration of Bright Star was in 2023, held from August 31 to September 14 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base.

The exercise featured about 1,500 US service members, 2,300 Egyptian troops, and troops from 15 other countries, with another 15 countries participating as observers.

The 2023 event included discussions held at Cairo's Egyptian Space City, focusing on the space domain and advancing space domain awareness through the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) and the US Space Force.

Egypt's space capabilities

EgSA was established on January 17, 2018, and succeeded the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences as Egypt's premier space authority.

Its headquarters, located within Egyptian Space City, is a 123-acre facility on the outskirts of Cairo that also hosts the African Space Agency's (AfSA) headquarters, established after Egypt's successful 2019 bid to the African Union.

EgSA and its predecessor have successfully launched 13 satellites, beginning with EgyptSat-1 in 2007 and most recently NexSat-1, launched in February 2024.

With its commitment to exploration and its role as the operational headquarters for African space cooperation, Egypt has positioned itself as a leading country in regional space activities.

Growing space partnership

US Space Command (SPACECOM) oversees cooperation with allies and partners and the execution and planning of all military space domain operations to deter aggression and defend national interests.

Through military and civilian agency partnerships, SPACECOM expands multidomain capabilities to meet and defeat emerging threats.

Cooperation with Egypt in this area is growing. EgSA and SPACECOM are exploring joint work on capacity building and technical support, ranging from space launch coordination to monitoring activities.

This collaboration reflects a mutual understanding that space security is inseparable from broader global security interests.

As part of this cooperation, leaders from both nations recognize the necessity of cultivating human capital and expertise across both the public and private sectors.

Joint exercises like Bright Star provide a unique opportunity to foster communication and knowledge sharing across nations.

The US Space Force is particularly proficient in satellite operations, space launch, and space intelligence, and leverages international cooperation as an opportunity to share its expertise.

Combined with Egypt's regional leadership and infrastructure, the two countries are well-positioned to align defense cooperation with long-term goals for space security.

The next iteration of Bright Star is scheduled to begin on August 28, 2025, and continue until September 10, with participation from dozens of countries following established tradition.