Pentagon working with Ukraine, SpaceX to prevent Russian exploitation of Starlink

Pentagon working with Ukraine, SpaceX to prevent Russian exploitation of Starlink
Pentagon working with Ukraine, SpaceX to prevent Russian exploitation of Starlink

“Just the idea of this being more available and so people can find it and try to exploit it, that’s something we just have to bake in and understand,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb said of commercial services like SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.

US leads world in 2023 launches, sats on orbit: study

US leads world in 2023 launches, sats on orbit: study
US leads world in 2023 launches, sats on orbit: study

SpaceX alone was responsible for 98 of the 109 launch attempts made by the US in 2023, and 1,937 of the 2,234 US satellites successfully orbited.

Space Force plans to ‘guarantee’ future launch missions with 3 providers faces near term challenge

Space Force plans to ‘guarantee’ future launch missions with 3 providers faces near term challenge
Space Force plans to ‘guarantee’ future launch missions with 3 providers faces near term challenge

While Space Systems Command hasn’t publicly expressed concerns, outside observers point out that there is a real possibility that only Elon Musk’s SpaceX will be able to undertake National Security Space Launches in the next few years.

Space Force to reveal draft for commercial satellite ‘reserve’ service soon

Space Force to reveal draft for commercial satellite ‘reserve’ service soon
Space Force to reveal draft for commercial satellite ‘reserve’ service soon

“The capacity needed during times of crisis or conflict will exceed our steady state peacetime demand,” said Col. Rich Kniseley, who leads Space Systems Commands Commercial Space Office.

Top Ukrainian official raises concerns about Elon Musk’s ‘manipulation’ of information

Top Ukrainian official raises concerns about Elon Musk’s ‘manipulation’ of information
Top Ukrainian official raises concerns about Elon Musk’s ‘manipulation’ of information

Ukrainian deputy prime minister Olga Stefanishyna is worried that Twitter is becoming “the major source of manipulation” under Musk’s leadership, with Musk himself “test[ing] the manipulation limits he can use.”

SpaceX beating Russian jamming attack was ‘eyewatering’: DoD official

SpaceX beating Russian jamming attack was ‘eyewatering’: DoD official
SpaceX beating Russian jamming attack was ‘eyewatering’: DoD official

“The way that Starlink was able to upgrade when a threat showed up, we need to be able to have that ability,” said Dave Tremper, the Pentagon’s director of electronic warfare. “We have to be able to change our electromagnetic posture, to be able to change very dynamically what we’re trying to do without losing capability along the way.”

Unclear And Contradictory Rules Bedevil Commercial Space Firms: Study

Unclear And Contradictory Rules Bedevil Commercial Space Firms: Study
Unclear And Contradictory Rules Bedevil Commercial Space Firms: Study

The Aerospace study found that controlling the creation of dangerous space junk is a regulatory arena “where clarity is badly needed,” for one.

Elon Musk: ‘Radical Innovation’ Needed To Beat China Militarily

Elon Musk: ‘Radical Innovation’ Needed To Beat China Militarily
Elon Musk: ‘Radical Innovation’ Needed To Beat China Militarily

“The fighter jet era has passed,” says Musk. The future, he averred, is “autonomous drone warfare.”

DoD Swats Away Blue Origin Launch Protest

DoD Swats Away Blue Origin Launch Protest
DoD Swats Away Blue Origin Launch Protest

One space expert, with no skin in the NSSL game, opined that for the most part Blue Origin’s protest is “simply whining,” and characterized SpaceX’s lawsuit as “sour grapes.”

All Systems Were GO! SpaceX’s Big Falcon Heavy

All Systems Were GO! SpaceX’s Big Falcon Heavy
All Systems Were GO! SpaceX’s Big Falcon Heavy

WASHINGTON: No lives were on the line. It wasn’t lofting a billion dollar spy satellite. But the SpaceX Falcon Heavy test launch demonstrated today that the world’s largest rocket system worked largely as planned. And, as one observer noted, the entire system was built for commercial reasons alone; no government agency crafted a requirement saying…

SpaceX’s Reusable Rockets Could Revolutionize Warfare

SpaceX’s Reusable Rockets Could Revolutionize Warfare
SpaceX’s Reusable Rockets Could Revolutionize Warfare

  If SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s can adapt his reusable rockets for international passenger travel, his company could soon send people and cargo around the world much faster than can the U.S. Air Force. Musk has realized that the same reusable rockets he is building for missions beyond Earth orbit can also be used to do…

SpaceX ‘Kicking Major Butt’ To Launch X-37B For First Time, Not ULA’s Atlas V

SpaceX ‘Kicking Major Butt’ To Launch X-37B For First Time, Not ULA’s Atlas V
SpaceX ‘Kicking Major Butt’ To Launch X-37B For First Time, Not ULA’s Atlas V

UPDATED: Adds Insights On Signficance ONRCO Mum So Far ON Switch GEOINT: In news sure to rock the launch industry, the mighty United Launch Alliance today failed to be named as the company launching the X-37B spaceplane. Instead, Elon Musk’s SpaceX will carry it for the first time, marking what is believed to be the…

Artificial Stupidity: Fumbling The Handoff From AI To Human Control

Artificial Stupidity: Fumbling The Handoff From AI To Human Control
Artificial Stupidity: Fumbling The Handoff From AI To Human Control

Science fiction taught us to fear smart machines we can’t control. But reality should teach us to fear smart machines that need us to take control when we’re not ready. From Patriot missiles to Tesla cars to Airbus jets, automated systems have killed human beings, not out of malice, but because the humans operating them…

Trump Taps Former Rep. Heather Wilson As Likely Air Force Secretary;

Trump Taps Former Rep. Heather Wilson As Likely Air Force Secretary;
Trump Taps Former Rep. Heather Wilson As Likely Air Force Secretary;

WASHINGTON: The nation’s spy satellite agency, the NRO, is likely to get closer scrutiny under the presumptive Air Force Secretary, Heather Wilson, a disciplined former National Security Council staffer and member of Congress. I interviewed Wilson a number of times while she was on the Hill and was always impressed with her command of the…