Integrating commercial partners and priming an ever-accelerating development and acquisition process will define the future for Pentagon space programs, acquisition leaders predicted at the 2023 GovCon Wire Space Acquisition Forum on Jan. 18.
The U.S. Space Force and SpaceX successfully launched the sixth GPS III satellite into orbit Jan. 18, bolstering the crucial position, navigation, and timing constellation. The launch, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex-40, took place at 7:24 a.m. Eastern, with the satellite riding SpaceX’s ...
Gen. B. Chance “Salty” Saltzman became the second-ever Chief of Space Operations on Nov. 2, bringing with him a resume unlikely ever to be repeated. A space operator most of his career, he was the deputy air component commander at U.S. Central Command and the ...
The Space Force and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command formalized a new chain of command for Guardians in the Pacific, activating a new service component command of the unified combatant command. Establishing U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific gives the Space Force a seat “at the table” to plan ...
Having become a part of the Space Force this month, the Space Development Agency expects little disruption—so to speak—to getting its initial constellation into orbit in time for military exercises next summer, said SDA director Derek Tournear. He anticipated no personnel changes from the transition. ...
The U.S. Space Force finally rolled out new cybersecurity standards for its commercial satellite vendors on May 28, saying those who could meet them might be able to charge more. First mooted more than three years ago, the Infrastructure Asset Pre-Assessment (IA-Pre) program is designed ...
Detailed justification for the Space Force’s fiscal 2023 budget request revealed facility expansions for new radar and intercontinental ballistic missile programs and the breakdown of how the service would like to spend $1 billion on missile warning and tracking.
While the Air Force is looking to retire hundreds of old assets to free up money for new systems, don’t expect the Space Force to follow suit, said the head of Space Systems Command. Even as the Space Development Agency—soon to transition to be part ...
As commercial satellites feed images from Ukraine to U.S. space and intelligence agencies in a historically collaborative effort, Space Force leaders are eager to learn how else they can put the commercial sector to work for the service.
Onboard an undisclosed host satellite launching in 2024, a Boeing-built prototype processor could become the "first space-based hub" of the military’s Protected Tactical Waveform for jam-resistant battlefield communications, the company says. Boeing’s Protected Tactical SATCOM Prototype, or PTS-P, is meant to demonstrate better standoff distance, ...
The man nominated to serve as the first confirmed assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration pledged to bring program discipline to the position—even if it means canceling struggling programs. “I am a firm believer in delivering programs on cost, on ...
A more capable iteration of the Space Force’s Wideband Global Satellite Communications satellites can move into the production phase since passing a critical design review. Improvements include numerous coverage beams with smaller possible footprints to help evade jamming.