Science & Tech
China’s Moon Missions Could Threaten US Satellites: Pentagon
A satellite on the far side of the moon might not be quite what the Chinese say, Air Force official warns.
Ideas
A Missile-Defense Layer in Space Is Affordable and Makes Sense
Critics warn about sky-high price tags while blocking efforts to divine the actual cost.
Ideas
China Has a ‘Space Force.’ What Are Its Lessons for the Pentagon?
The U.S. military must find new ways to leverage commercial innovation in order to contend with China in space.
Threats
New Defense One eBook: The Changing Race to Space
Space Force, satellites, weapons, and more.
Policy
USAF’s Space Force Cost-Estimate Is Likely Too High: Analyst
Todd Harrison says $13 billion is a high-ball figure meant to shift the debate.
Policy
Pentagon Appears to Concede USAF Point in Space Force Tug-of-War
Days after the Air Force secretary fired off a memo, the deputy defense secretary appeared to back off a plan for a new acquisition agency.
Science & Tech
SpaceX: We’ll Consider Launching Space Weapons If Asked
Elon Musk’s rocket startup says it might join the space arms race.
Policy
Air Force Pushes Back on Pentagon’s First Blueprints for Trump’s Space Force
In a pointed memo, Heather Wilson counters several Space Force proposals championed by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
Ideas
Congress Wants a Space-Based Missile Defense System. That’s a Colossally Bad Idea
A provision in the 2019 defense authorization act orders the Pentagon to start development.
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.
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.
Defense Systems
GAO: Barriers to commercial satellite launch 'surmountable' for DOD
Centralizing data related to the Defense Department's work with commercial satellites could be one of the first tasks for a “Space Force.”
Ideas
Why the Space Force Is Just Like Trump University
The gap between the hype and reality of the proposed new branch of the military makes the project almost entirely an exercise in misleading branding.
Ideas
Ep. 15: Space Force is happening; The future of ISIS in Africa; Charlottesville, one year later; and more.
Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.
Policy
Pence Makes Hard Sell For Trump's Space Force by 2020
The administration wants a new military service branch, but space mission's future in the Pentagon and Congress is far from certain.
Ideas
Do We Need a Space Force? That Depends on Our Answers to These Legal and Strategic Questions
The first question that we need to clarify is whether the U.S. and its future peer adversaries are willing to fight a war in space.
Policy
5 Unanswered Questions About Space Force
As Pentagon leaders plan changes to the U.S. military’s orbital-operations organizations, analysts wonder whether they have done all their homework.
Threats
Russia Is Slowly Declining As a Space Superpower
The first country to launch a satellite is losing its space advantage to leakers, competitors like SpaceX, and most importantly to China.
Ideas
Congress Rushes to Spend Billions on Space Weapons—Even if They Don’t Work
Even a bare-bones system would be ridiculously costly, and more likely to foster war than prevent it.
Science & Tech