The delay in the review, however, is not expected to impact the planned delivery schedule, an Air Force spokesperson said. That said, neither the Pentagon nor the NRO has revealed the hoped-for schedule.
By Theresa HitchensEnterprise-wide training: the Army’s $3.5B program for multi-service combat readiness
The competition for Warfighter Training and Readiness Solutions will bring together training networks, combat training centers and live ranges across the DoD enterprise.
Meanwhile, the report says, the Space Force should be in charge of pursuing large networks of small satellites under the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) — differentiating its “tactical ISR” job from the “strategic” mission of NRO.
By Theresa Hitchens
The status change should give the Space Force more weight in debate about how to share acquisition authority for commercial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
By Theresa Hitchens
Next month’s launch “will be the first launch of an actual operational system,” NRO Principal Deputy Director Troy Meink said.
By Michael Marrow
More than a dozen sources tell Breaking Defense that tensions between the NGA and Space Force are rising on commercial ISR, with White House officials watching closely.
By Theresa Hitchens
The executive branch is “still talking through exactly what the scope and scale” of any new NRO program would be, but the “intent” is to “more cost effectively leverage” commercial capabilities “over the longer term,” said NRO’s head of commercial programs Pete Muend.
By Theresa Hitchens
Troy Meink, NRO principal deputy director, explained that the decline in launch costs is one of two critical factors in allowing NRO to begin to diversify its on-orbit force structure to include both “large and small satellites” using multiple orbital domains.
By Theresa Hitchens
Millennium Space Systems is delivering on critical missile tracking constellation
With programs like MTC, Millennium Space Systems is redefining what it means to be an operational prime – rapidly delivering operational small sat constellations on rapid timelines.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall explained that the “small decrease in the number for the Space Force” isn’t itself quite reflective of reality, as there are mitigating circumstances that lessen the blow.
By Theresa Hitchens
With apparent frustration with another program, Space Force acquisition chief Frank Calvelli asked, “What I don’t get… [is] why would somebody want to have this sort of reputation-ruining stain in the papers all the time?”
By Michael Marrow “We are clearly moving away from airborne ISR assets and moving into space. It’s the absolute right thing to do from a resiliency and sustainability perspective,” Air Force space acquisition czar Frank Calvelli said.
By Theresa Hitchens
While Kuva Space’s while full constellation of 100 satellites won’t be ready until 2030, the firm can “start providing reliable service to commercial and government customers in the US and our partner nations” once the first two are up, said Jerry Welsh, board member of Kuva’s new US arm.
By Theresa Hitchens
“We can’t expect to bridge the valley of death through S&T programs, and industry accelerator programs. … We need to identify and prioritize resources, funding and personnel,” said Diane Howard, National Space Council head of commercial space policy.
By Theresa Hitchens
Firefly is already on contract and will “support a responsive on-orbit mission for the NRO” using the Alpha small launcher and its Elytra on-orbit vehicle for hosting payloads.
By Theresa Hitchens
A new “white paper” from Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, obtained by Breaking Defense, stresses the foundational role of timely space domain awareness in ensuring that Space Force commanders are not caught flat-footed by adversaries.
By Theresa Hitchens
