Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has made missile warning and tracking a priority of his tenure, and agencies across the Pentagon are working on a number of efforts to handle that key mission from space. But instead of relying on a less coordinated approach, one ...
low-Earth orbit
In this Q&A with Air Force Magazine, Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond reflects on what it means to be the first Chief of Space Operations and the Space Force’s very first member, as well as the future of the new service and of space itself.
As commercial satellites feed images from Ukraine to U.S. space and intelligence agencies in a historically collaborative effort, Space Force leaders are eager to learn how else they can put the commercial sector to work for the service.
China’s August launch of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that circumnavigated the globe before reentry demonstrates the need for innovative solutions to spotting and tracking such threats. Unlike conventional intercontinental ballistic missiles, which follow a predictable ballistic arc, China’s hypersonic glide vehicle circled the world at ...
When it comes to the Defense Department’s plans for satellite communications, the Pentagon will need all different kinds of space architectures, two top Pentagon officials said during a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies webcast Jan. 7. David Voss, director of the Spectrum Warfare Center of ...
As the SpaceX Crew Dragon rocketed into orbit carrying American astronauts on May 30, a team of USAF aircraft circled the airspace to ensure it was safe and rescue crews stood alert in case the mission did not go safely. “We all recognized the historical ...
The Arctic is becoming a frontline for America’s homeland defense, but the U.S. military needs to train more and improve its ability to communicate in the region, the head of U.S. Northern Command said. In every other area of the world, U.S. military units can ...
Niger Base Blowback; USAFA Virtual Graduation; and more ...
The Space Force has ambitious plans to support American companies and astronauts as they try to return to—and set up shop on—the moon. But to succeed, the military first needs to understand more about what's near Earth’s only natural satellite. Rhea Space Activity, a Washington-based ...
Russia again flexed its muscle in space by testing a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon on April 15, drawing criticism from U.S. Space Command. “Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious, and growing,” SPACECOM boss ...
Virgin Orbit subsidiary VOX Space will launch dozens of small satellites into space for the Space Force’s Orbital Services Program-4, under a $35 million contract announced April 10. For OSP-4’s first round of launches, dubbed Space Test Program-S28, VOX Space will deliver 44 satellites to ...
America's top weapons developer said the nation has to accept that a Cold War-like situation has returned, and the U.S. must invest in game-changing technologies. Space defense, for example, despite boasting a new service and new thinking, is still oriented toward outmoded ideas, and the ...
