Air Force Space Command and Lockheed Martin officials gathered at Schriever AFB, Colo., recently to celebrate 50 years of cumulative operation for the Global Positioning System Block IIR. “Millions of people around the world can use GPS because of the hard work, dedication, and passion our GPS team brings to the fight everyday,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Hamilton, commander of the 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever.
The final version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill calls for adding $1.2 billion to the Space Force’s research and development accounts, an increase that’s mostly split between two efforts: expanding the service’s low-Earth orbit data transport network and boosting its space-based missile warning and tracking capabilities.
