The US Space Force

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Space Force Plans Billions in Spending on Launch Infrastructure

The Space Force is working on hundreds of projects worth several billion dollars to upgrade its launch facilities, a top general said.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

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SDA a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for supply chain woes: Space Force

“These challenges are significant and we need to figure out how to get after them," Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein said.

www.defensenews.com

 

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Despite New Policy, Space Force Remains Stymied by Classification

U.S. and allied military space officials said a year after the Pentagon signed a new policy on space classification, issues persist.

www.airandspaceforces.com

U.S. Space Force unit in Europe navigates critical satellite operations

The ongoing Ukraine conflict serves as a testing ground for space-based capabilities and as a laboratory for military adaptability

spacenews.com

 

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Space superiority is the goal as US Space Forces Japan activates at Tokyo air base

The U.S. Space Force established a new command Wednesday in western Tokyo.

www.stripes.com

 

[Forest Green]

New US Space Force jammers aim to disrupt China’s SATCOM signals

The Remote Modular Terminals, which disrupt adversary satellites by "yelling in their ear," as one official put it, are cleared for initial fielding,

www.defensenews.com

 

[Flyaway]

The Space Force expects its newest space observation satellites, Silent Barker, to be ready for initial operations early next year, according to the head of U.S. Space Command.

Gen. Stephen Whiting told reporters Wednesday that the spacecraft, which launched in September 2023, has been undergoing a series of on-orbit tests for the last year.

Whiting suggested the yearlong testing process is “not atypical” for a new mission like Silent Barker, adding that future satellites in the constellation should integrate much faster. The Space Force expects the satellites to be fully operational by 2026.

https://www.defensenews.com/space/2...t-barker-satellites-to-be-live-in-early-2025/

 

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Experts: US Not Organized or Equipped for the Coming Electromagnetic Wars in Space

The Pentagon needs to organize and equip itself better to protect its space assets from electronic warfare, or EW, experts say.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

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Why Do We Need a Space Force? Here’s This Guardian’s Answer

Space Force Col. Charles Galbreath explains why the U.S. needs the service and challenges Guardians to advocate for it.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

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Challenges facing Space Force and commercial industry: Gen. Guetlein’s candid take

The vice chief of the Space Force said the service is committed to greater transparency with its commercial and international partners

spacenews.com

 

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SDA evaluating future role in 'niche' space-based ISR missions

The Space Development Agency is in the early stages of understanding how the organization can further support IRS missions from space.

defensescoop.com

 

[Forest Green]

True Anomaly deploys Jackal spacecraft on Mission X-2

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 27, 2024 - True Anomaly Inc., a leading defense technology company specializing in advanced space superiority systems, has confirmed the successful launch and operational control of its Jackal spacecraft. This

www.spacewar.com

Space Force gets loud and proud about warfighting role: 2024 in review - Breaking Defense

"You are warfighters, whether you carry a gun or not," Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told Guardians on Dec. 10. "You are trained and expected to carry out offensive and defensive actions against military forces of other countries."

breakingdefense.com

 

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Colorado Could Lose US Space Command. Trump Is Expected to Move It to Alabama.

Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was reactivated in 2019 -- in Alabama was made in the waning days of his first term.

www.military.com

 

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Military’s weather satellite program in flux as Space Force evaluates options

‘We are in the middle of doing analysis’

spacenews.com

 

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Space Force gets loud and proud about warfighting role: 2024 in review - Breaking Defense

"You are warfighters, whether you carry a gun or not," Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told Guardians on Dec. 10. "You are trained and expected to carry out offensive and defensive actions against military forces of other countries."

breakingdefense.com

Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, who commands US Space Command, told reporters on Dec. 11 that “space fires is our number one Integrated Priority List gap.”

whoah

 

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Peeking behind the veil: 5 revelatory space stories from 2024 - Breaking Defense

This year saw evidence that a shift toward more openness about US national security space activities is coming whether those deep in the "black world" are ready or not.

breakingdefense.com

 

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New US Space Force jammers aim to disrupt China’s SATCOM signals

The Remote Modular Terminals, which disrupt adversary satellites by "yelling in their ear," as one official put it, are cleared for initial fielding,

www.defensenews.com

 

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Kendall: Space Force must move faster to field counterspace capabilities

Outgoing Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall warns that the service needs to develop and field counterspace capabilities at a faster pace.

defensescoop.com

 

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NRO Joins Pentagon Exercises to Test New Targeting Satellites

NRO director Christopher Scolese discussed his agency’s work with the Space Force and the rest of the Pentagon on targeting satellites.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[Forest Green]

Space industrial base racing to meet growing demand for military satellites

After supply chain woes delayed the launch of the Space Development Agency's Tranche 1 satellites, SDA and the space industrial base are working to mitigate risks in future tranches.

defensescoop.com

S4S establishes strategic vision after first year of successes

Vandenberg SFB CA (SPX) Jan 03, 2025 - On Dec. 6, 2023, U.S. Space Forces - Space stood up as the Space Force Service Component to U.S. Space Command. The activation of S4S was part of U.S. Space Force's plan to normalize the prese

www.spacewar.com

Money, Musk and mission creep: How Trump could shape DOD’s space drift

The path to a larger Space Force budget isn’t clear — even as Trump, who oversaw the creation of the service, prepares to take office in the coming weeks.

www.defensenews.com

 

[Flyaway]

The U.S. Military’s New Multi-Orbit Approach To Missile Warning
Vivienne Machi December 02, 2024
missile tracking satellite

The Space Force wants to field missile tracking satellites in medium Earth orbit starting in 2026.
Credit: Lockheed Martin

The U.S. Space Force is attempting a novel approach to space-based missile warning and tracking to counter adversarial weapon systems that are dimmer, faster and more maneuverable than ballistic missiles.

Russia attacked a Ukrainian rocket factory Nov. 21 with a new conventionally armed, medium-range ballistic missile that President Vladimir Putin identified as a Mach-10-capable weapon named Oreshnik, calling the firing a response to strikes on Russian soil by Western-made missiles.

Space Force and MDA are in “lockstep” over no-fail mission
Missile tracking is to be handled by MEO and LEO layers

China continues to expand its strategic missile forces, developing a range of air-to-air missiles, conventionally armed ICBMs and increased numbers of nuclear warheads. North Korea is also accelerating ICBM production.

As the Space Force approaches its fifth birthday, one of the U.S. military’s longest-running and most critical on-orbit mission areas is undergoing a facelift costing billions of dollars over the next half-decade.

The nation has enjoyed an uninterrupted space-based early warning capability from geostationary orbit (GEO) since the Missile Defense Alarm System spacecraft launched in the 1960s to detect Soviet ICBMs.

The current architecture includes Lockheed Martin-built GEO-based Space-Based Infrared System satellites and payloads in highly elliptical orbit (HEO), legacy Northrop Grumman Defense Support Program satellites and associated ground systems. Those spacecraft were built to monitor bright, predictable and easily tracked missile-based threats. But the landscape has changed as adversaries develop more sophisticated weapons to use against the U.S.

The U.S. Military’s New Multi-Orbit Approach To Missile Warning | Aviation Week Network

As the Space Force approaches its fifth birthday, one of its most critical mission areas is undergoing a massive facelift.

aviationweek.com

 

[Forest Green]

Space Force Eyes New Jam-Resistant Tactical SATCOM Options

Northrop Grumman and Boeing are making progress on prototype payloads to demonstrate jam-resistant tactical communications for Space Force.

www.airandspaceforces.com

Space Development Agency validates high-speed satellite comm links

During a demo, York Space Systems and SpaceX connected two of their satellites via a laser communication link, proving a key technology for SDA.

www.defensenews.com

Small Satellite Architectures Get New Boosts From SDA, NRO

On Jan. 9, the National Reconnaissance Office launched more small satellites and the Space Development Agency established a laser comms link.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[Forest Green]

SpaceX launches new round of spy satellites for NRO, and record setting Starlink campaign same day

Washington DC (UPI) Jan 10, 2024 - SpaceX launched new spy satellites into lower Earth orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office, adding to the growing constellation of such U.S.-based intelligence-gathering satellites around the world.

www.spacewar.com

Achieving High Precision for In-Orbit Instrument Calibration

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 10, 2025 - One of the most complex challenges in space-based remote sensing is attaining the high level of instrument calibration accuracy required while in orbit. The Moon, as an exoatmospheric calibration so

www.spacewar.com

After delays, Digital Bloodhound contract goes to MTSI for $640 million - Breaking Defense

The single contract award was initially set to be announced in June 2023, but was delayed twice in FY24 until it was officially announced Thursday, Breaking Defense previously reported.

breakingdefense.com

 

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BlackSky wins US Space Force contracts for tactical surveillance and tracking missions

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 13, 2025 - BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has secured several rapid procurement contracts through the U.S. Space Force's Global Data Marketplace (GDM), emphasizing its advanced analytics services in sup

www.spacewar.com

Future vision outlined for the Air Force and Space Force in 2050

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 15, 2025 - As his tenure as Secretary of the Department of the Air Force nears its conclusion, Frank Kendall presented a detailed vision on January 13 for the challenges and opportunities the Air Force and Spa

www.spacewar.com

 

[Forest Green]

BlackSky secures extended contract with NRO for advanced Gen-2 imagery services

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 15, 2025 - BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has announced a one-year extension of its Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The extension covers s

www.spacewar.com

BlackSky secures $200M Luno B contract

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2025 - BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has been named as a key vendor by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for its $200 million Luno B commercial data indefinite delivery, indefinite

www.spacewar.com

SDA Director Suspended Pending Investigation

Derek M. Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency, has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[Forest Green]

Slingshot Aerospace to enhance USSF technology for GPS jamming and spoofing detection

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 16, 2025 - Slingshot Aerospace, a leader in AI-driven satellite tracking and space traffic solutions, has secured $1.9 million from the United States Space Force's (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to advance

www.spacewar.com

 

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EXCLUSIVE: Calvelli cautions Space Force, SDA to focus on program results, know that 'industry lies' - Breaking Defense

"The issues that bother me more are not just Space Force-related. It's just the experience base across the whole Department of Defense," Frank Calvelli, Air Force space acquisition czar, told Breaking Defense in an exclusive exit interview on Tuesday.

breakingdefense.com

 

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China’s plan to rule the heavens

A look at Beijing's strategy to relegate the United States to second place in space.

www.defenseone.com

 

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Why organizing the White House for sustained space leadership is necessary

As the Trump 2.0 administration begins to take shape, one of the questions orbiting in the beltway space community is whether President-elect Trump will retain the National Space Council — a dedica…

spacenews.com

 

[jsport]

Lack of Space Force personnel support for NRO draws congressional ire - Breaking Defense

In an attempt to spur the Space Force to cough up more people, the House and Senate Intelligence committees have mandated quarterly reports by the Director of National Intelligence on whether DoD is meeting its commitment to provide uniformed personnel to NRO.

breakingdefense.com

 

[TomcatViP]

China’s plan to rule the heavens

A look at Beijing's strategy to relegate the United States to second place in space.

www.defenseone.com

The plan unfolds in three stages. The initial phase, lasting through 2027, concentrates on solidifying foundational technological capabilities and mission success in a number of fields. This includes further unmanned lunar exploration and developing core competencies for Mars missions. The second phase, from 2028 to 2035, envisions China using these advancements to land taikonauts on the Moon, establish a permanent base there, and execute complex manned missions to Mars. The final phase, culminating in 2050, foresees China dispatching manned missions to other celestial bodies, solidifying itself as the preeminent center of space science innovation.

Once again, the Moon is not a diversion. It's on the very contrary the Alpha and Omega of our spacefaring endeavor. It will be the beginning*, sustain our daily routine and stands at the end of our earthbound civilization.

*rationally, indeed it was.

 

[Forest Green]

Why the US Navy wants to build a fully autonomous satellite

The system, called Autosat, can task, calibrate its signals and send and receive information on its own without the need for a human operator.

www.defensenews.com

How Space Force Guardians Helped Defeat Iran’s Attacks on Israel

Space Force Guardians from Mission Delta 4 and Space Delta 5 helped warn against Iran’s missile barrages on Israel, limiting damages.

www.airandspaceforces.com

‘Even Better’: How Guardians Stopped Iran's Second Missile Barrage

Guardians refined their training, processes, and equipment for missile warning after Iran attacked Israel, then helped defeat another attack.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

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The other space control: who does what in the national security space enterprise

“Space control” is a legacy term of art from United States military doctrine for space operations. It refers to the mission of ensuring friendly access to outer space. However, there is another for…

spacenews.com

 

[jsport]

Space Force Eyes New Jam-Resistant Tactical SATCOM Options

Northrop Grumman and Boeing are making progress on prototype payloads to demonstrate jam-resistant tactical communications for Space Force.

www.airandspaceforces.com

 

[jsport]

As the US and China race to the Moon, loopholes in space law could allow conflict

The prospect of “space water wars” is nearer, timewise, than the prospect of providing clean drinking water to everyone in the developing world.

www.defenseone.com

 

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Space National Guard Could Become Reality Under Donald Trump

Trump said during a National Guard Association of the United States conference in August that "as president, I will sign historic legislation creating a Space National Guard."

www.military.com

 

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Space Force expands top secret intel-sharing program with industry to support new mission areas

A Space Force effort dedicated to improving partnerships with the service and industry has added five new vendors and two new mission areas.

defensescoop.com

 

[jsport]

Space Force expands Commercial Integration Cell partnerships

The cell provides a venue for real-time technology exchange between U.S. Space Command and commercial space firms.

www.defensenews.com

 

[zevets]

Space Force expands top secret intel-sharing program with industry to support new mission areas

A Space Force effort dedicated to improving partnerships with the service and industry has added five new vendors and two new mission areas.

defensescoop.com

If we are sharing top secret, maybe we should just downgrade it instead??

 

[Forest Green]

Space Force Forecasts Big Boost in Commercial SATCOM

The Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office is forecasting a busy 2025, with up to $2.3 billion dollars in contracts.

www.airandspaceforces.com

BlackSky prepares for milestone February launch with new Gen-3 satellite

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 24, 2025 - BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has shipped its first Gen-3 satellite to Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) for an anticipated February launch. The satellite is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab La

www.spacewar.com

 

[Forest Green]

Space Force zeroed out funding for in-space mobility in FY26 budget request: Sources - Breaking Defense

On the eve of the third annual Space Mobility Conference here, supporters of Defense Department investment in technologies to enable what SPACECOM calls "dynamic space operations" are facing a recent cooling of near-term interest from senior Space Force officials.

breakingdefense.com

SDA releases Tranche 3 solicitation draft, seeks input on optical terminal standard | InsideDefense.com

The Space Development Agency released a draft request for proposals for the next set of Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture low-Earth orbit satellites last week as well as a call for feedback on instating a new standard for optical communications terminals.

insidedefense.com