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
US Space Command Among ‘First Movers’ in Strikes Against Iran
U.S. space and cyber forces were the “first movers” in this weekend’s strikes on Iran, Pentagon leaders say, helping create a path for the joint force to strike more than 1,000 targets in the campaign’s first 24 hours.
Space Force Officials Preparing for More Budget Growth in 2027
After years of describing to lawmakers and Pentagon leaders the nature of that threat and the key role spacepower plays in deterring conflict in the domain and enabling the rest of the joint force, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters during AFA’s Warfare Symposium ...
Orbital Warfare Unit Gets Live Satellite to Practice Maneuvers
Guardians in the Space Force’s orbital warfare unit, Mission Delta 9, just got a significant upgrade to their training capabilities in the form of a live satellite, which they’ll use to practice precise, advanced offensive and defensive maneuvers for space warfighting.
Space Force in Final Test Phase for Second GBOSS Radar Upgrade
The Space Force is close to transitioning to the next phase of a key upgrade to its Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance radar to operational users, according to the head of Combat Forces Command.
Space Force Pauses Vulcan Missions amid Anomaly Investigation
The Space Force is pressing pause on all military launches on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket as officials investigate a recent anomaly they say could take “many months” to resolve.
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.
