The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
dynamic space operations
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.
A U.S. military satellite maneuvered in orbit to get close to a British spacecraft and relay its observations to the U.K. earlier this month, a first-of-its-kind space operation between the two allies.
The Space Force will have one of its satellites refueled for the first time ever next summer, potentially the first step toward a future where satellites can maneuver like aircraft in the sky or ships on the sea to dodge threats and hold adversaries at ...
AFWERX, the Air Force’s technology incubator, is funding the development of an AI-powered tool for identifying and tracking objects in low-Earth orbit, even as they maneuver and try to cloak themselves.
Creating the Space Force to counter China and Russia answered a rising threat. Now investments are needed to ensure space superiority. The first Space Race began in October 1957 with the Soviet Union’s successful launch of Sputnik, the first man-made...
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military ...
Chinese satellites in geosynchronous orbit are maneuvering at high rates, practicing orbital warfare techniques, studying other spacecraft, and testing new ways to evade threats—and Space Force and industry leaders warn the U.S. must learn to maneuver in response.
“Watch me do this kickflip” is essentially what top Space Force officials said on Oct. 10 when they announced the secretive X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle will soon start aerobraking, a maneuver where an orbiting space vehicle dips into the atmosphere...
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, charged with quickly delivering cutting-edge, often-classified technologies for the Space Force, has awarded orders to 20 different small companies to work on software for commanding and controlling satellites that move around in orbit.
Today threats in space are significant. Increasingly, U.S. space capabilities are contested, as Russia and China pursue threatening capabilities to challenge what was once U.S. dominance and have become near parity.
U.S. Space Command is interested in orbits around Earth outside the traditional regions where satellites operate, and commander Gen. Stephen N. Whiting sees refuelable spacecraft as a possible key to getting to them.
