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 to Launch 18 Comms and Targeting Missions by End of 2027
The Space Force awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract to conduct 18 launches for communications and targeting satellites by the end of 2027.
Space Force Eyes ‘Usable’ Airborne Target Tracking by ’28, More Capability to Follow
The Space Force expects its nascent airborne moving target indicator program will have a “usable capability” in the next few years—but the official in charge of the program says there’s more work to be done beyond that to refine the sensing, data processing, and orchestration ...
Space Force Awards Key Software Contract for Strategic SATCOM
Space Systems Command on July 27 announced a $287 million award to Sphinx Defense to develop a mission planning prototype for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications program’s ground segment.
Space Force Picks Rocket Lab for Suborbital Launches from Alaska
The Space Force awarded Rocket Lab $266 million to launch 12 suborbital missions over the next three years—most of them from a new launch pad in Alaska.
Space Force Wants Commercial Bandwidth for SATCOM Experiments
The Space Force is moving forward with a series of experiments to test ideas for broadening its narrowband satellite communication mission to medium-Earth orbit, and a new notice to industry seeks commercial satellites to help demonstrate the viability of a future hybrid architecture.
Space Force Launch Program Sees Demand Surge from 60 Missions to 170
The Space Force is tripling the size of one of its main launch procurement contracts from $5.6 billion to $17 billion to accommodate growing demand from government customers.
Space Force Could Cap Launch Support Without Extra Funding, Saltzman Says
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman is warning lawmakers that the Space Force may eventually have to limit the number of launches it can support each year without additional resources to manage surging demand at its spaceports.
York Confirms Health of 21 New Space Development Agency Satellites
York Space Systems said it has confirmed the health of 21 satellites that launched July 16 as part of the Space Development Agency’s data transport constellation.
Space Development Agency Launches 21 Data Transport Satellites on SpaceX Rocket
The Space Development Agency resumed its Tranche 1 launch effort July 16, sending 21 data transport satellites to continue building out a mesh network in low-Earth orbit.
SDA to Resume Launches After 9-Month Pause, Early On-Orbit Challenges
The Space Development Agency is on track to resume its Tranche 1 launch campaign this week after a nine-month pause to fix hardware and software issues that arose on orbit following the launch of its first operational satellites last fall.
SDA Awards Contracts for 36 Golden Dome Missile Tracking Satellites
The Space Development Agency announced contracts worth $1.75 billion to build 36 satellites in support of the Pentagon's Golden Dome missile defense shield.
Aircraft Procurement, Space Launch Could Pay for Unexpected Personnel Costs
The Air Force and Space Force want approval from Congress to shift more than $900 million in fiscal 2026 funds to cover higher-than-expected personnel costs.
Space Force Finalizes New Acquisition Structure, Names 9 Portfolio Executives
The Space Force has finalized a major reorganization of its acquisition structure, creating nine mission area-focused portfolio acquisition executives with broad authority over the service’s development and procurement programs.
Space Force’s New C2 System to Get Key Upgrades in 2027
The Space Force is eyeing three key upgrades next year to its next-generation command-and-control system that will make it easier for allies to share space domain awareness data and improve collaboration and training for operators.
Space Force Picks Two More Startups to Compete for Launch Missions
The Space Force has added two startup firms to its National Security Space Launch program, increasing the competitive field for “commercial-like” missions to seven providers.