As NASA’s asteroid impact mission nears, similar Chinese efforts raise eyebrows
NASA's DART spacecraft, designed to bash into a small asteroid and push it off course, is on track to impact on Sept. 26.
Citing routine cost jumps, Senate appropriators add to Middle Tier authority concerns
“You always have to be careful when we streamline a process,” David Norquist, recently installed as president and CEO of the National Defense Industrial Association, told Breaking Defense.
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Next-generation C2 won’t be next-gen without the network transport
The network transport architecture for NGC2 could be a hybrid approach that combines high assurance communications with 5G, WiFi, and multi-orbit satellites.
Space Force plans launch this week for final SBIRS missile warning sat
Assuming the Thursday launch goes as planned, the last of the satellites, SBIRS GEO-6, is expected to be up and running by "late spring, early summer" next year, according to Maj. Matt Blystone.
NRO, Air Force may co-fund future space-based ISR tech: Kendall
Amid lawmaker concerns about turf tussles, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and NRO Director Chris Scoloese have an "informal agreement" to "work cooperatively to address DoD's ISR needs from space."
White House calls for review of 25-year deadline for de-orbiting dead satellites
The "National Orbital Debris Implementation Plan" issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy assigns DoD the lead for some 17 tasks.
Saltzman, father of multi-domain ops, to replace Raymond as Space Force chief
Rumors already are flying about who will take over the vice slot at Space Force when Gen. David "DT" Thompson retires next year, with current bets on Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, head of Space Systems Command.
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Turning R&D into reality to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
Way up in the air: World View looks to expand customer base for its ‘Stratollite’ balloon
The company has demonstrated the capability to do 'pattern of life' monitoring, staying over a 40 kilometer area for more than four days, said CEO Ryan Hartman.
Rocket science: How Space Force acquisition works, with many players and dual hats
Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, as head of SSC, has enormous responsibility for space acquisition programs, but lacks direct financial control.
Canada’s new Space Division: Evolution not revolution
Even as Canada acknowledges growing importance of space in defense, Jessica West of Canada's Project Ploughshares said, "The creation of a division within the military [structure] rather than a standalone force points to the integration of space across military functions rather than a ‘warfighting’ orientation."
As US shifts space strategy, SAIC seeks to expand role as space systems integrator, traffic manager
"Money's going into space. There's a lot of opportunity for us to push into new areas leveraging our expertise," said David Ray, who leads SAIC's national security Space Business Unit.
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Data overload threatens decisionmakers as autonomy expands
Reducing cognitive overload on warfighters while improving “time to trust” for autonomous systems is a matter of design.
Startup SCOUT piques Space Force interest with space data software
Sergio Gallucci, SCOUT co-founder and chief technology officer, told Breaking Defense that its new AFWERX contract is focused on demonstrating its software for integrating and streamlining unclassified data from multiple satellites.
Speed vs. oversight: Middle Tier Acquisition draws lawmakers’ concern
When it comes to MTAs, Eric Lofgren, a defense acquisition specialist at George Mason University, told Breaking Defense that "GAO and OSD seem to be struggling with how to baseline and conduct oversight of these programs."
Commerce asks industry: ‘What space safety help do you want from us?’
The Office of Space Commerce, in part, is trying to define the scope of what "basic" services it will provide for free, and what else it might do for a fee.
L3Harris, Northrop score $1.3B in SDA hypersonic missile tracking contracts
The awards are a first step in the Space Force's plan, which will move the Defense Department away from today's reliance on a a handful of large expensive satellites in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and highly elliptical polar orbits, SDA Director Derek Tournear said.