For the Space Force and the U.S. writ large, the mission of position, navigation, and timing has become synonymous with three letters: GPS. That is likely to change in the coming years, as service officials described plans this week for a whole host of alternative ...
The Space Development Agency will start launching its next batch of satellites in March or April 2025, six months later than originally planned, but director Derek Tournear suggested he may try to increase the pace of launches after that to get back on schedule.
The Space Development Agency has created a pool of non-traditional defense space vendors to compete for experimental and demonstration satellite contracts in low-Earth orbit, director Derek M. Tournear announced Oct. 23.
The Space Development Agency isn’t slowing down anytime soon. On Oct. 2, the organization released a notice to industry outlining its plans for a busy 2025 on the acquisition front, as it will look to procure around 200 satellites from different solicitations for Tranche 3 of ...
Anduril, the Silicon Valley defense startup that's made a splash as a finalist in the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, now aims to get into the space business as well. The company announced a partnership with fellow startup Apex Space on Oct. 1; aiming ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Space Force is working on a “hybrid” satellite communications terminal that can use multiple frequencies to connect warfighters with military and commercial constellations alike across orbits. But key lawmakers are concerned the effort is too focused on just the Department of the Air Force and ...
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.