Breaking Defense
• Theresa Hitchens
Lt. Col. Rick Zellman, deputy commander of US Space Command, identified directed-energy weapons, cyberattacks and strikes on communications hubs as potential means of disabling large satellite constellations. His remarks underscore both the vulnerability of space-based networks and the emerging military interest in laser systems.
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Lt. Col. Rick Zellman, deputy commander of US Space Command, identified directed-energy weapons, cyberattacks and strikes on communications hubs as potential means of disabling large satellite constellations. His remarks underscore both the vulnerability of space-based networks and the emerging military interest in laser systems.
Thaicom says its Airbus-built Thaicom 10 satellite will not enter service until the first half of 2029, citing launch availability. The further delay comes as the operator prepares to relocate customers ahead of Thaicom 4’s retirement and manages production delays affecting Astranis-built Thaicom 9.
The U.S. Space Force has selected Voyager Technologies for a development award focused on space-to-space communications. The effort adds to the service’s work on communications capabilities designed to support connectivity between spacecraft in orbit, though the announcement does not disclose the award’s value, timeline or technical specifications.
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Governments are expanding satellite capabilities as space-based intelligence becomes increasingly important to modern warfare, according to a space-technology executive. The war in Ukraine has intensified competition among countries to develop or acquire spy satellites, underscoring the growing strategic value of orbital surveillance.
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A proposal to deploy as many as 1 million AI satellites in orbit could sharply increase rocket-launch emissions and produce concentrated toxic ash as spacecraft reenter the atmosphere. The scale of the data-center constellation raises questions about the environmental limits of orbital computing and satellite disposal.
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