Courtney Albon
Courtney Albon is the Space Editor at Air & Space Forces Magazine. She has been covering the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. During that time, she has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges, including the F-35 fighter jet, hypersonic capability development and the creation of the Space Force.
Recent stories by Courtney Albon
Northrop Teams With Startup, Hoping to Use AI to Design Spacecraft
Northrop Grumman is teaming up with AI company Luminary Cloud to use the startup firm’s physics-based AI platform to significantly reduce the time it takes to design and develop space systems.
Pentagon Nominee on Consolidating Space Force and NRO: ‘Open to All Options’
Marc Berkowitz, the Trump administration’s nominee to serve as assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told lawmakers he would consider “all options” for improving the efficiency of the national security space enterprise, including combining some functions of the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance ...
Here’s How the Pentagon Could Keep Paying Troops During the Shutdown
With a fresh directive from the president, the department could opt to repeat its unconventional—and potentially unlawful—move to pay troops using unused non-personnel appropriations.
Space Force Plans $905 Million for Maneuverable GEO Program
The Space Force expects to award $905 million in contracts over the next five years through a new Maneuverable GEO program, which aims to form a commercial fleet of mobile communication satellites in geosynchronous orbit.
Experts: US Needs Whole-of-Government Approach to Match China in Cislunar
As the gap between U.S. and China’s space capabilities narrows, national security space experts say the Space Force and the broader Pentagon should forge stronger connections with the Intelligence Community and NASA in order to stay ahead.
Startup Apex Latest to Plan Golden Dome Demo with Launch Set for 2026
Satellite manufacturer Apex announced it would launch a space-based interceptor demonstration next summer—the latest company to unveil plans to prototype technology that could contribute to the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense project.
Space Force Contract to Inform Commercial Weather Strategy
The Space Force’s recent contract to Muon Space to repurpose their commercial weather satellites for military use will inform a broader “data-as-a-service” strategy for its space-based environmental monitoring mission.
Air Force Bases to Host AI Data Centers on Unused Land
The Air Force is offering space on five of its bases for companies to build artificial intelligence data centers, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to speed up development of the infrastructure needed to enable the rapid development and adoption of AI technology. ...
New Blue Origin Facility To Boost Space Force Launch Cadence
A new Space Force partnership with Blue Origin to expand payload processing capacity at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will allow the launch range to support as many as 16 more missions per year.
Space Development Agency Launches 21 Data Transport Satellites
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in a 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.
Space Force Plans 2026 Competition for Commercial Satellites That Can Maneuver
The Space Force wants access to a fleet of small, maneuverable commercial satellites that can provide a range of services from geosynchronous orbit, chiefly satellite communications.
Space Force Pushes for FMS Reform as Case Load Spikes
Space Force leaders are advocating for reforms to the Pentagon’s foreign military sales process to better handle a surge in requests from international partners to buy U.S.-made military space systems.
How the Space Force Is Getting a Head Start on Defense Acquisition Reform
The Space Force has a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to change the way it develops and delivers space capabilities, said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman at AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference, and Congress is poised to help make that possible.
Startup Firefly Makes Move to Expand into Golden Dome, Dynamic Satellites
Firefly Aerospace, the small launch company that helped the Space Force send a satellite into orbit on a record-fast timeline, plans to acquire software and data company SciTec in an $855 million deal that will further its reach in the defense market.
Space Force Awards ULA, SpaceX $1 Billion for Seven Launches
The Space Force issued contracts to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance worth more than $1 billion to launch military space missions starting in fiscal 2027.
