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
Space Force Budget Cuts SDA’s Data Transport Funding
The new Space Force budget request omits funding for future tranches of the Space Development Agency’s data transport layer, teeing up a potential debate in Congress about the future of the organization and the service’s plan for managing both tactical and enterprise communication needs.
White House Picks Raytheon Exec to Lead Space Force Acquisition
The Trump administration on April 21 nominated Erich Hernandez-Baquero, an executive at Raytheon, to serve as assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration.
Space Force Seeks Bigger Operational Footprint With 4 New Ops Centers
The Space Force is requesting $1 billion in fiscal 2027 to build four space operations centers around the country, part of a broader push to build up the service to match growing demand for space capabilities.
Space Force Sets Up Office to Coordinate Cislunar Programs
The Space Force announced April 16 the establishment of a Cislunar Coordination Office to manage and craft a roadmap for the service’s nascent deep-space missions.
Pentagon Cancels $6B GPS Ground System Contract
The Pentagon has canceled its contract with RTX to field a ground segment to manage its most capable GPS satellites, a more than 15-year effort beleaguered by software development issues and cost overages.
Space Command Laying Foundation for Maneuver Warfare
U.S. Space Command has tasked a team of internal analysts with laying the foundation for a future maneuver warfare strategy that uses advanced, on-orbit mobility to “shatter the enemy’s cohesion,” the command’s top officer said April 13.
Boeing, Millennium Roll Out Mid-Sized Satellite amid Space Force Production Push
Boeing and its subsidiary Millennium Space Systems are rolling out a new mid-class satellite bus they say will provide commercial and defense customers flexibility at a time when the Pentagon is pushing for more production and speed.
Space Force Kicks Off Effort to Build Airborne Targeting Satellites by Selecting Vendor Pool
The Space Force has selected an initial pool of vendors that will compete to build sensors and satellites that track airborne targets, as Pentagon officials push to transform the capability from a prototyping effort to an operational one.
Space Force Lays Out Vision For What It Thinks It Needs in 2040
The Space Force on April 15 released two highly anticipated future-casting documents that describe what the service expects the space environment will look like in the year 2040 and lay out the force structure it thinks it will need to operate in that environment.
Space Force Accepts Upgrade to Deep-Space Telescope on Hawaii
The Space Force has accepted an upgrade to its Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance telescope for operations, bringing increased visibility into orbit to its Maui Space Surveillance Complex in Hawaii. The modernized variant, called the Ground-Based Optical Sensor System, has double the field of view ...
Space Force Urges Industry to Invest in Satellite Production Capacity
The Space Force is preparing for significant growth to its procurement budget in fiscal 2027, and the head of the service’s largest acquisition organization said April 14 he is asking companies to invest now in facilities and production capacity so they’re ready to execute when ...
BAE Unveils Highly Maneuverable, Refuelable Satellite, Eyes 2027 Delivery
BAE Systems unveiled a new high-thrust, refuelable satellite designed to support dynamic space operations–a demand company officials say is coming not only from the Space Force, but from commercial and civil customers as well.
STARCOM Aims to Fill 400 Civilian Positions in Hiring Surge
Space Training and Readiness Command announced plans to hire 400 civilians in the coming months at its hubs around the country.
How Vandenberg’s Range Is Scaling to Meet Launch Demand
In the last five years, the annual launch rate at the Space Force’s West Coast range has surged from a handful of missions to 66 in 2025. Now, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California expects to support 150 launches in the next five years and ...
Space Force Picks 14 Firms to Compete to Build Reconnaissance Satellites
The Space Force chose an initial pool of 14 contractors to compete to build a constellation of maneuverable satellites designed to observe and track activity in geosynchronous orbit.
