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
New ‘Ringleader’ Exercise Series to Test DAF Battle Network
The Air Force and Space Force are preparing to kick off a series of exercises called “Ringleader” aimed at testing the services’ ability to integrate the troves of data collected by ground, air, and space sensors, and use it to track and engage enemy targets.
Space Force Starts Briefing Stakeholders on 15-Year Vision
The Space Force is starting to share early versions of its 15-year force structure roadmap with industry, government, and allied officials, focused on three primary mission areas—navigation warfare, space domain awareness, and satellite communications—Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman announced Feb. 23.
Space Development Agency Awards Tactical SATCOM Demo Contract
The Space Development Agency is shelling out $30 million to see how it can use a commercial satellite network for tactical communications. The contract award to AST SpaceMobile, announced Feb. 23, is the agency's first use of a vendor pool meant for demonstration and experimentation ...
DIU Eyes First Launch for Its Commercial Hypersonic Testbed
The Defense Innovation Unit is gearing up for the first flight of its commercially developed hypersonic testbed as soon as the end of February—part of a larger project to quickly increase the cadence of the Pentagon’s hypersonic flight testing and field advanced, high-speed systems and ...
USSF Wants to Get Battle Management Tools from Lab to Operations Faster
The Space Force team responsible for developing advanced battle management capabilities wants to create a better pipeline for mature space domain awareness tools to move from the lab into the hands of operators.
Boeing Adds Production Line to Boost Space Force’s Missile Warning Push
Boeing announced Feb. 20 it has opened a new production line dedicated to building electro-optical infrared sensors for the Space Force and other customers.
Space Force Surveys Industry For Refueling Tech
As the Space Force continues to weigh the military utility and economic viability of on-orbit refueling, it’s looking to industry for more details about capabilities that could start servicing satellites by 2030.
How the Space Force Is Managing Growth at Its Busiest Launch Range
If the forecast holds, the world’s busiest spaceport is poised to get even busier. The Space Force’s latest projections show that its Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida could be supporting as many as 500 launches annually by 2036—a fivefold increase ...
Space Force, Aiming to Double in Size, Blows Past Recruiting Goal
To meet growing demand for national security space capabilities, the Space Force's top enlisted leader says it needs to double in size. The Space Force has already surpassed its recruiting goals for fiscal 2026.
ULA Successfully Launches Space Force Mission, Despite Booster Anomaly
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket flew its second Space Force mission in the early hours of Feb. 12, carrying multiple Space Force payloads to geosynchronous orbit.
NASA Administrator Eyes Greater Collaboration with Pentagon
While NASA and the Defense Department have different objectives in space, the two agencies can collaborate more to avoid duplicative spending and take better advantage of mutually beneficial technology development, says NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
ULA’s Interim Leader Focused on Increasing Launch Rate in 2026
United Launch Alliance executives say the firm is “well positioned for the future” despite falling short of its projected launch cadence in 2025 and seeing longtime CEO Tory Bruno depart in early January for competitor Blue Origin.
GAO: Pentagon and Services Need to Get on Same Page When It Comes to Tech Priorities
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
Pentagon’s Commercial Tech Hub on the Hunt for Missile Tracking Sensors, Satellite Disposal
The Defense Innovation Unit, the Pentagon’s commercial technology hub, plans to demonstrate low-cost, commercially derived missile defense sensors on orbit within the next two years, according to a new notice to industry.
With New START Set to Expire, Experts Foresee a ‘New Era’ of Nuclear Policy
Days before the New START Treaty is set to expire, experts, lawmakers, and former defense officials have varied perspectives on how President Donald Trump’s administration should proceed as it considers future arms control agreements with nuclear weapon states.
