Space

UK asks industry for new ground-based space domain awareness sensor capability for Cyprus base

UK asks industry for new ground-based space domain awareness sensor capability for Cyprus base
UK asks industry for new ground-based space domain awareness sensor capability for Cyprus base

Once operational, the new sensor will be hosted on a UK military base on the Mediterranean island, capable of resident space object (RSO) tracking and “potentially characterisation or neighbourhood watch functions for the GEO orbital regime,” according to a Request for Information (RFI) solicitation.

Space Force, SPACECOM pushing to speed ‘sustained’ maneuverability on orbit

Space Force, SPACECOM pushing to speed ‘sustained’ maneuverability on orbit
Space Force, SPACECOM pushing to speed ‘sustained’ maneuverability on orbit

The Space Force is rushing to meet SPACECOM’s demand, developing a new acquisition plan for space “mobility and logistics” — including on-orbit servicing and repair, satellite refueling and space junk cleanup — a plan that will lean heavily on use of commercial capabilities, said SSC’s Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy.

Pentagon asks Congress for right to launch new tech programs before it has a budget

Pentagon asks Congress for right to launch new tech programs before it has a budget
Pentagon asks Congress for right to launch new tech programs before it has a budget

“One of the reasons it hasn’t happened in the past is because Congress is reluctant to give up even this much authority,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said today. “I think it’s a minimal amount of authority to give up for a very high return.”

NRO expects prototype moving target sensor on orbit in ‘8 to 12 months,’ director says

NRO expects prototype moving target sensor on orbit in ‘8 to 12 months,’ director says
NRO expects prototype moving target sensor on orbit in ‘8 to 12 months,’ director says

NRO and Space Force “are working hand in hand to shape the future of ground moving target indicators, which will provide day/night, all-weather detection and tracking of ground and maritime targets for the warfighter,” NRO Director Chris Scolese said.

DoD launches new ‘effort’ to rapidly adopt commercial space capabilities

DoD launches new ‘effort’ to rapidly adopt commercial space capabilities
DoD launches new ‘effort’ to rapidly adopt commercial space capabilities

“We need to take advantage of the diversity of novel ideas and products available from the commercial sector to complement the DoD space and deliver capabilities to our warfighter at a far quicker pace,” said Heidi Shyu, the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

Classified, ‘substantial’ new military space capability should be online by 2026: Space Force chief

Classified, ‘substantial’ new military space capability should be online by 2026: Space Force chief
Classified, ‘substantial’ new military space capability should be online by 2026: Space Force chief

“I expect that by the end of my tenure, if I make it all the way to [2026], that you’re going to see a substantial on-orbit capability that allows us to compete in full-spectrum operations,” Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman said today.

SPACECOM sets key requirements for space, including ‘combat power’

SPACECOM sets key requirements for space, including ‘combat power’
SPACECOM sets key requirements for space, including ‘combat power’

Satellite communications has become a priority for US Space Command as part of its space “assurance mission” for NATO allies and international partners in the Ukraine war, says the command’s head, Gen. Jim Dickinson.

Lockheed Martin demos on-orbit maneuvering for AFRL, with sat servicing in mind

Lockheed Martin demos on-orbit maneuvering for AFRL, with sat servicing in mind
Lockheed Martin demos on-orbit maneuvering for AFRL, with sat servicing in mind

“The closest proximity that we have imagery of was 400 meters” taken during a pass on Feb. 28, said Karla Brown, program manager for the demonstration satellites at Lockheed Martin Space. “So we hope, with two viable assets up there, to continue the demonstration to get even closer and continue to prove out those algorithms.”

Rocket Lab unveils new HASTE suborbital hypersonic testbed

Rocket Lab unveils new HASTE suborbital hypersonic testbed
Rocket Lab unveils new HASTE suborbital hypersonic testbed

The company says its new rocket will be ready to launch in the first half of 2023 for a “confidential customer.”

South Korea and Japan resume intel sharing agreement, but not all problems are solved

South Korea and Japan resume intel sharing agreement, but not all problems are solved
South Korea and Japan resume intel sharing agreement, but not all problems are solved

“The restoration of the bilateral GSOMIA and the desire now to expand intelligence and other types of security cooperation are made possible by President Yoon’s determination to improve relations and Japan’s growing anxiety about an assertive China,” Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute wrote.

International meeting could imperil Pentagon’s radar, intel-gathering systems

International meeting could imperil Pentagon’s radar, intel-gathering systems
International meeting could imperil Pentagon’s radar, intel-gathering systems

The month-long World Radiocommunications Conference in Dubai will decide whether to change how spectrum use is allocate among various users – including spectrum needed by DoD planes and ships operating abroad.

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Small satellite acquisition: Contracting for success

Small satellite acquisition: Contracting for success
Small satellite acquisition: Contracting for success

Millennium Space Systems’ Vice President of Contracts Joshua Madrigal shares how contracting plays a critical role in acquisition.

As counterspace weapons ‘proliferate,’ the new cold war for space races forward: studies

As counterspace weapons ‘proliferate,’ the new cold war for space races forward: studies
As counterspace weapons ‘proliferate,’ the new cold war for space races forward: studies

A pair of studies, one from the Secure World Foundation and one from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, examine the state of play as nations search for ways to keep each other from dominating the heavens.

Space Force sustainment plan for Satellite Control Network ‘near completion,’ though hurdles remain

Space Force sustainment plan for Satellite Control Network ‘near completion,’ though hurdles remain
Space Force sustainment plan for Satellite Control Network ‘near completion,’ though hurdles remain

The overdue Satellite Control Network’s Life Cycle Sustainment Plan is expected to address the many ways space has changed since the last 2017 version, including the over-extension of too few antennas to communicate with too many satellites.