The United States and Spain will share space situational awareness services and information under a new memorandum of understanding. US Strategic Command director of plans and policy, Maj. Gen. Clinton Crosier, and the head of the plans division on the Spanish joint staff signed the agreement in December, according to a Feb. 16 release. “Our space systems underpin a wide range of services, providing vital national, military, civil, scientific, and economic benefits to the global community. Space situational awareness, which requires cooperation in order to be effective, is one of many approaches used to ensure we continue benefitting from this critical domain,” Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of USSTRATCOM, said in a written release. Spain joins nine other countries, two intergovernmental organizations, and more than 50 commercial satellite owners, operators, and launchers in sharing space situational awareness data with USSTRATCOM. “As more countries, companies, and organizations field space capabilities and benefit from the use of space systems, it is in our collective interest to act responsibly, promote transparency, and enhance the long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of space,” Haney said. (See also: Fostering International Partnerships.)
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
