Author Archive
Science & Tech
How Rocket-Makers Ensure 3D-Printed Parts are Strong Enough for Space
Measure them against an industrial standard for welding called AWS D17.1 Class A.
Business
Why Did Paul Allen Build the World’s Largest Aircraft?
The six-engine, twin-fuselage Stratolaunch has no commercial customers paying to give their rockets a lift. Are there secret military ones?
Science & Tech
How A Billion-Dollar Satellite Gets to the Launch Pad
Before an ultra-secure communications military satellite soars into orbit, it has to fly to Florida aboard the U.S. Air Force's largest plane.
Threats
The US Is Worried That a Russian Satellite Is Really a Weapon
It could be practicing to fix other spacecraft—or blow them up.
Ideas
SpaceX Just Sold the US Air Force the Cheapest Enormous Rocket It’s Ever Bought
The launch will cost $130 million, far less than the $350 million average cost of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV.
Science & Tech
The US Military Will Award $10 Million to the Company That Can Launch Satellites on Short Notice
The Air Force is desperate to replace larger satellites that are vulnerable to attack, and fast.
Policy
Trump Says His New Tariffs Are About National Security. They’re Not.
Few people believe him, and that’s a problem for him—and the world.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon is Funding Silicon Valley’s Space Industry to Watch North Korean Missiles
The U.S. military doesn’t have the information it needs to stop an attack by North Korea. But officials believe they know where to get it.
Science & Tech
The US Isn’t Going To Launch a Military Space Corps—For Now
The effort still sends a message that the U.S. is concerned about the orbital military aspirations of geopolitical rivals like China and Russia.
Business
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Will Fly the US Military's Top-Secret Space Robot
The company is due to launch the X-37B in August, breaking a decade-long monopoly by United Launch Alliance.
Science & Tech
Elon Musk’s Reusable Rocket Just Changed The Space Game
The successful test flight of a used rocket is a milestone in the effort to drastically lower the cost of putting a satellite in orbit.
Featured eBooks
Ideas
Trump's Defense-and-Budget Plan Has Been Tried Before
The GOP candidate's proposals for irresponsible tax cuts and uncapped defense spending look quite a bit like George W. Bush's.
Science & Tech
China’s New Satellite Puts Quantum Encryption Into Orbit
It’s designed to literally teleport information nearly 750 miles.
Science & Tech
Nailed It: SpaceX's Reusable Rocket Makes Historic Landing
Falcon 9’s successful mission shows how the cost of space access is headed down as reusable rockets head up.
Business
This Painfully Honest Look at the Space Industry Just Got an Executive Fired
The engineering chief of the nation’s largest rocket-launch firm got a little too candid during a recent talk at his alma mater.
Ideas
Why a US Army Vet Cast a Muslim-American Woman to Lead His Afghan War Movie
An American paratrooper's experience with an Afghan-American interpreter formed the basis of the upcoming film, 'Day One.'
Science & Tech
The US Military Just Ditched Plans to Launch Satellites with F-15s
DARPA was looking for a way to get small sats into orbit more quickly, but the fuel proved too dangerous.
Business
The Pentagon's Afghan 'Slush Fund' Will Now Have to Answer to Angry Lawmakers
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has given the DOD 48 hours to turn over its files on a controversial task force that may have misspent millions in Afghanistan.
Business
Troops' Privacy at Center of $43M Gas Station Tussle Between Pentagon, Watchdog
No one so far knows where some $42 million went for a $500k gas station in Afghanistan. But a fight between the Pentagon and its auditor is keeping the records out of the public eye.
Threats