Air Force Space Command assumes control of TacSat-3 from the Air Force Research Lab’s Space Vehicles Directorate, following nearly 13 months of drills since its launch in May 2009. In that time, its primary payload an imaging spectrometer (dubbed ARTEMIS) responded to combatant commander taskings, including providing overhead imagery of earthquake relief efforts in Chile and Haiti.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
