As Space Force wraps up GPS III launches, lawmakers push for more anti-jam capability
Meanwhile, House and Senate appropriators are foot-stomping the need for improvements to the GPS constellation and new, resilient alternatives.
Space Force
Space Force envisions rolling awards for new RG-XX neighborhood watch satellites
Space Systems Command intends to issue task orders to qualified vendors annually based on funding and operational needs, said Col. Byron McClain, SSC program executive officer for Space Combat Power.
Space Force leaders prep for FY27 budget jump, personnel increases
Tom Ainsworth has been named as the Air Force’s top space acquisition officer, taking over from Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy who will remain in place as Ainsworth’s military deputy.
Beyond 2025: What defense leaders need to watch in 2026
What’s in store for 2026? Breaking Defense reporters examine how the decisions, disruptions, and developments of 2025 could shape the year ahead.
France taps Loft Orbital to develop nation’s first ‘sovereign’ SAR satellite
The program is aimed at providing “a critical technology for the armed forces and for France’s strategic autonomy,” according to Loft’s announcement today.
SDA taps Starfish for first-of-its-kind satellite disposal service
Starfish will commence with launch of the Otter vehicle in 2027, Trevor Bennett, the firm’s cofounder, told Breaking Defense.
The state of play in military space
The military space sector is evolving fast. Get the latest from Space Force and industry officials on what’s next for acquisition, policy and training in a new Breaking Defense eBook.
DARPA backs Diffraqtion to demo ‘quantum camera’ for space, Earth surveillance
Only recently emerging from stealth, the MIT-UMD spinout is planning constellations of small, low-cost ISR satellites for multiple military missions.
SpaceX to launch next SDA missile tracking satellites
SpaceX will launch 36 Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites — 18 built by L3Harris and 18 built by Lockheed Martin — plus eight FOO Fighter birds built by Millennium Space Systems.
DIU to fund ‘unjammable’ magnetic navigation tech
DIU expects to fund prototypes of multiple airborne platforms for magnetic navigation, including one that scans the ocean surface at 2,000 ft.