Last month, more than five years of collaboration between National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force culminated in the launch of their SILENTBARKER satellites, which will track objects and monitor activity in geosynchronous orbit. Now, the two organizations hope to use that same template of ...
The Space Force is bolstering its satellite network—and its ties to SpaceX—with a $70 million contract for the company’s new Starshield service. Starshield, often described as a government equivalent to SpaceX’s Starlink network, is made up of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and will provide ...
The Space Force set a scorching new record Sept. 14 when it launched a satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., just 27 hours after receiving launch orders.
The Space Force is launching two prototype “integrated mission deltas” to bridge the gap between operations and sustainment, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman announced Sept. 12.
The Space Force is expanding its effort to be able to launch a satellite into orbit on a moment’s notice, with help from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. The two organizations put out a solicitation to industry Aug. 24 for its next “tactically responsive space” mission, ...
The Space Force declared “mission complete” for one of its space surveillance satellites and took it off operational status last month, ahead of another satellite joining the constellation next year. The Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program provides the Space Force with the ability to track and ...
U.S. military space operations are set for a changing of the guard in leadership—Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting has been nominated to pin on a fourth star and take over as head of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM). Meanwhile, the Space Force is set ...
The Space Force is opening up its competition for rocket launches with a “dual-lane approach,” according to a new draft request for proposals (RFP) from industry—potentially giving smaller companies more opportunities. Late Feb. 16, the service released the draft RFP and announced it would be hosting ...
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 ...