Threats
Space Force needs to prepare for an ‘in-person’ moon conflict with China, new report argues
Guardians need a human spaceflight program for future lunar missions, Mitchell Institute says.
Business
This company wants to make 1,000 satellites a year
Quantum Space is building a Tulsa factory for its not-yet-flown Ranger satellite.
Defense Systems
In reversal, Hegseth now backs E-7 radar plane
SecDef says previous calls to cancel the program reflected a now-discarded ”divest-to-invest mindset.”
Defense Systems
Golden Dome plan would cost $1.2 trillion, CBO finds
That’s seven times what Trump initially said, and almost double the congressional office’s first estimate.
Threats
With launches slated to grow a hundredfold, Space Force seeks more sites, money, people, and AI
Even today’s accelerated pace strains decades-old launch facilities.
Defense Systems
Air Force wants AI in its air-ops command-and-control system
Kessel Run is managing the nascent effort to improve the Air Operations Center Weapon System used by COCOMs.
Defense Systems
Space Force wraps decades-long GPS upgrade—and the next one is on tap
A last-minute rocket swap shows agility in pursuit of faster launches.
Exclusive
Policy
Meet the 3-star insiders say will be Space Force’s next top leader
Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess is seen as the likely replacement for Gen. Chance Saltzman.
Threats
Space Force picks firms to develop Golden Dome’s space-based interceptors
Defense giants and startups vie to create orbital defenses—even as the program’s czar concedes they may be unaffordable.
Threats
Space Force scrambles to repair workforce as massive budget increase looms
The service is trying to recruit at a record pace even as Pentagon officials insist civilian departures didn't hurt acquisition.
Defense Systems
Space-based missile defense may cost too much for Golden Dome’s 12-figure spending plan
Czar doesn’t know if the ambitious tech can be affordably produced.
Defense Systems
Air Force presses for space-based radar despite AWACS loss in Iran
The service is down to a handful of E-3 radar aircraft, but is pushing off proposals to fund its replacement.
Policy
Space Force’s 2040 vision: a larger force to contend with larger Chinese, Russian threats
Officials speculate there could be 30,000 US satellites—more than twice as many as today.
Science & Tech
Put nuclear reactors in space within a few years, White House tells Pentagon
The push follows other Trump-administration efforts to expand nuclear power.
Threats
A Russian space nuke was focus of US wargame, Space Command says
U.S. and allied governments and contractors gamed out implications of a nuclear blast intended to take out satellites.
Policy
HASC chair: Trillion-dollar defense budgets are the ‘new normal.’ Reconciliation is less certain.
Many of the administration’s military space priorities bank on abnormal budget maneuvers.
Defense Systems
‘Everyone wants a spaceplane’: More countries eye on-orbit protection for satellites
New report says France, Germany, India, and Japan aim to emulate U.S., Chinese capabilities.
Threats