Policy
Trump Calls for a Space Force, a Concept His Pentagon Opposes
The president’s words could reanimate a legislative proposal that the defense secretary and others thought they had killed.
Science & Tech
Pentagon May Create a Combatant Command for Space
The Defense Department is also looking at major changes to speed up how it buys satellites.
Policy
Space Corps Is At Least ‘Three to Five Years Away,’ Its Congressional Champion Says
A bipartisan team of House lawmakers slams the Air Force for pushing back on the idea of a separate service for space operations.
Science & Tech
Russia Claims It Now Has Lasers To Shoot Satellites
A defense source tells Russian media that military engineers have advanced work on the next big anti-satellite weapon.
Business
US Air Force Looks For New Ways to Buy, Protect Satellites
Ideas include smaller constellations — perhaps even spacecraft built to commercial standards.
Threats
Left-of-Launch Missile Defense: ‘You Don’t Want to Have Just One Solution to the Threat’
The 3-star commander of the US Army’s space and missile-defense efforts talks about the changing mix of ways to counter threats.
Science & Tech
The Cost To Put a Microsatellite Constellation Into Space Just Fell Through the Floor
Super-cheap rocket startup hits orbit in new test, demonstrates space maneuvering to deposit satellites.
Science & Tech
What SpaceX's Record-Breaking Year Means for Science (and the Rocketry Business)
After a triumphant year, the reusable rocketeer is planning 50 percent more launches in 2018.
Science & Tech
The US Army Knows It’s Vulnerable to Space Attack. Here’s What They Want to Do About It
Map-reading skills are just the start. Next up: looking at capabilities that provide alternatives to GPS and satellite comms.
Business
As the US Air Force Turns Its Focus to Space, This Small Team Could Lead the Way
Once seen as a threat to traditional acquisition channels, the Operationally Responsive Space office is making it faster and cheaper to put new capabilities into orbit.
Ideas
US Space Policy Should Aim to Preserve Advantage on the New Frontier
As in the 19th-century American West, the government must recognize its limited yet crucial role in fostering the nation’s interests in space.
Science & Tech
Future Spy Satellites Just Got Exponentially Smaller
By changing the way microchips measure light, researchers are shrinking the size of space-based telescopes.
Science & Tech
The Army’s Space Force Has Doubled in Six Years, and Demand Is Still Going Up
As the service hastens to mint new orbital operators, its leaders are watching the debate over a separate Air Force space corps — and just maybe a new service branch.
Policy
Does the US Military Need a Space Corps?
A proposal in Congress would create the first new uniformed service in 70 years, but it faces opposition from the Pentagon.
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.
Ideas
Let the US Air Force Mature into the Space Force
Well-intentioned Congressional efforts to address problems risk trampling on existing solutions.
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.
Ideas
We Need to Focus on Space; We Don’t Need a 'Space Corps'
The US military’s top space commander wants deeper integration and more resources, not a separate Space Corps.
Policy
Departing Air Force Undersecretary Warns of Budget Uncertainty
Lisa Disbrow says the Air Force needs stable funding to better connect its planes, protect its satellites and buy more aircraft.
Policy