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.
Space Force
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.
L3Harris hones DoD focus with sale of civil space propulsion unit
AE Industrial will take a 60 percent stake in the new business focused on civil and commercial space; L3Harris will maintain about a 40 percent share.
The year that was and the year that will be, according to our reporters
2025 was a year of change, both for the defense community and for Breaking Defense. Let’s catch you up.
US-European relations will define the next year: 2026 preview
Transatlantic political turbulence could disrupt orders from European customers for US defense equipment over the long term, but if the last year is anything to go by, business is likely to be relatively predictable.
Europe’s time to shine in space? 2026 preview
Germany is sprinting to pump up its military space systems, perhaps changing the balance of power in setting European-wide priorities.
Tory Bruno to lead new Blue Origin national security unit
The company’s announcement did not explain how the new National Security Group would change, if at all, Blue Origin’s current organization and/or practices under its national security unit headed since August by Tom Martin.