In a first, Space Force to require refueling capability for next-gen neighborhood watch sats
While the Pentagon has funded experimental re-fueling efforts, RG-XX is the first official acquisition program to have a refueling requirement.
Space Force zeroed out funding for in-space mobility in FY26 budget request: Sources
On the eve of the third annual Space Mobility Conference here, supporters of Defense Department investment in technologies to enable what SPACECOM calls "dynamic space operations" are facing a recent cooling of near-term interest from senior Space Force officials.
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Meeting modern airpower needs with faster R&D cycles for propulsion
As aircraft shrink, threats expand, and technology accelerates, aircraft engines must iterate along with the threats.
Commerce Department eases export controls on satellites, including for remote sensing
"The three new rules ... recalibrate our approach to export controls," a senior Commerce Department official said. "These changes will offer relief to US companies and they'll increase innovation without compromising the critical technologies that keep our nation safe."
Scout Space nabs DARPA deal to simulate autonomous satellite swarming
The BRIDGES project is Scout's first with DARPA, but the company's SDA-related software and hardware — including its "plug and play" optical sensor packages designed as hosted payloads — already have caught the eye of Space Force officials.
Space Force taking the long view of satellite servicing, with an industry in the balance
"I think the US national security community is going to shape commercial space for the foreseeable future," Carissa Bryce Christensen, CEO of BryceTech, told Breaking Defense.
After you: DoD, industry look to each other for investment in space mobility
Lars Hoffman, Blue Origin's vice president of national security sales, said that a viable commercial market for space mobility and logistics "doesn't exist right now."
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Powering the future: Securing America with domestically made microelectronics
Onshoring and investment in military-specific semiconductors anchor a cornerstone of the defense industrial base.
White House official urges more ‘real’ Pentagon investment in space mobility
"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.
Space Force needs more money, people to secure cislunar space: Mitchell Institute
The Mitchell Institute is advocating that from now on Congress bolster the Space Force's budget by "about $250M a year" and "increase end strength by approximately 200 personnel for the new responsibilities associated with emerging national interests on the moon and the cislunar region."
For space, two steps forward, one step back: 2023 in review
The Space Force has made some visible progress in its "pivot" towards resiliency, but acquisition reform remains a hard slog.
New Biden space rules framework: ‘Expedited’ license review, ‘sustainability’ goals
"This oversight regime will balance economic competitiveness together with safety, security, sustainability, and responsibility," states the new United States Novel Space Activities Authorization and Supervision Framework.
Modern Tech in Indo-Pacific Operations
Explore how networked warfare, AI, and 3D-printed drones are reshaping US Indo-Pacific strategy.
EXCLUSIVE: Freedom to maneuver key for future space ‘combat mindset,’ says ex-SPACECOM deputy
"In a sense, we drive our satellites today as if we're going to church. Our adversaries drive their satellites as if they're going to combat," Lt. Gen. John Shaw, who recently retired from US Space Command, told Breaking Defense in this Q&A.
White House plan for ‘novel’ space activities faces industry, Hill skepticism
"Telling me: 'I'm creating a monster, but putting it in your closet,' still means I have a monster in my closet. And I'd really rather not have a monster in my closet," an industry representative told Breaking Defense.
White House asks Congress to split ‘new space’ authority between Commerce, Transportation
The Biden administration's plan came, in part, in response to a different congressional proposal about how to divvy up heavenly authorities, sources told Breaking Defense.
Hyperspace Challenge: 6 winners, with focus on novel ‘mobility’ tech for SPACECOM
"Right now, the position of my combatant commander is: 'I wanna move, I wanna refuel, I wanna have life-extension and I wanna live'," SpRCO Director Kelly Hammett told Breaking Defense.