UK Space Agency Star Wins NATO Early Career Award for Dual-Use Space Tech

The UK Space Agency’s Senior Programme Lead for National Security, Diana Luncă, has been awarded the NATO STO SCI Early Career Award for her outstanding contribution to a NATO research meeting on dual-use space technologies.

Civil and Defence Space: Driving Innovation

Diana leads the Unlocking Space for Defence programme, operating at the intersection of civil and defence space. Her work focuses on accelerating the adoption of dual-use technologies—innovations developed in the civil or commercial sector that can be applied to defence and security contexts.

This area is increasingly critical to NATO; rapid technological advances are often driven by commercial space actors, creating both opportunities and challenges for defence organisations.

NATO SCI 370: Delivering Impact

The SCI 370 Research Specialists' Meeting brought together experts from across NATO nations and partner organisations, including representatives from government, military, academia, and industry. The meeting focused on identifying priority capability needs, understanding barriers to adoption, and exploring practical pathways for integrating dual-use space technologies into NATO operations.

Diana served as co-chair, helping to convene and guide discussions among a diverse, multinational stakeholder group and ensuring that outputs were translated into actionable recommendations for the Alliance.

A Team Effort Across the UK Space Agency

The successful delivery of SCI 370 was the result of a strong collaborative effort across the UK Space Agency and the wider NATO community. Colleagues from across the Agency contributed to planning and delivery, supporting logistics, stakeholder engagement, and technical reporting.

"I am honoured to receive the NATO Early Career Award... This recognition reflects the importance of collective efforts across government, industry, and international partners to strengthen the connection between innovation and operational needs." – Diana Luncă

Supporting NATO's Future Resilience

This recognition reflects the growing importance of space to NATO's operational effectiveness and resilience. From satellite communications to Earth observation and space domain awareness, space technologies are central to how the Alliance operates. The UK Space Agency remains committed to supporting NATO through innovation, partnership, and the development of dual-use capabilities.