The People’s Republic of China recently launched its 1,000th satellite into orbit, the Space Force’s chief intelligence officer said Sept. 16, as he highlighted both the growing demand and ability the service has for tracking objects in space.
The Space Development Agency demonstrated laser communications between two of its satellites for the first time recent, laying the groundwork for the “mesh network” that will link hundreds of its satellites in low-Earth orbit. SDA director Derek Tournear added that the agency plans to start ...
Adversaries are developing increasingly sophisticated networks in space that enable not just kill chains but kill webs, which are “extremely difficult to defeat,” according to the Space Force’s No. 2 officer.
The Space Development Agency has contracts for more than 250 satellites in “Tranche 2” of its proliferated low-Earth orbit constellation. Now it's got a $491 million deal with General Dynamics to develop the ground systems and integration needed to capture all the data pouring down from ...
Retired Lt. Gen. John E. Shaw is often credited as the Pentagon's trailblazer in advocating for dynamic space operations. Now, he wants the military to get more dynamic in how it monitors and tracks objects and threats in orbit, as part of a broader shift ...
The Space Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $200 million contract to build a cutting-edge space radar in the United Kingdom, part of a joint venture between the U.S., U.K., and Australia to monitor 22,000 miles above the Earth around the clock.
The Space Development Agency awarded contracts for the final 20 satellites in the second tranche of its proliferated low-Earth orbit constellation on Aug. 16, setting the stage for hundreds of satellites to launch in the next three years or so.
In October 2022, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration Frank Calvelli released his nine “tenets” of space acquisition, meant to guide the future of the Space Force’s capabilities. His very first step: Build smaller satellites. Nearly two years later, the service ...
A new study argues the Space Force should build its own targeting satellites rather than try to collaborate with the National Reconnaissance Office.
The Space Development Agency has awarded a $414 million contract for eight new “FOO Fighter” satellites to Millennium Space Systems.
The Space Development Agency is fine-tuning and expanding its data transport satellites’ Link 16 connectivity, preparing for them to become the “backbone” of the Pentagon’s ambitious joint all-domain command and control system—and perhaps beyond that to NATO.
The Space Development Agency plans to spend roughly $25.5 billion from 2025 through the end of the decade building out its massive constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites, budget documents show.