Space Defense & Militarization News

Breaking Defense

DIA warns China and Russia are expanding counterspace capabilities as China’s ISR satellite fleet triples since 2018

A new Defense Intelligence Agency assessment says China and Russia are expanding military and dual-use space capabilities. It reports that China has tripled its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellite fleet since 2018, and describes Chinese spaceplane missions that included reported rendezvous and proximity operations.

Breaking Defense

Pentagon Halloween discussion ranges from space warfare to nuclear modernization

Three guests and host Mark discuss unsettling questions from their reporting beats, including the dangers of conflict in space and the complex effort to upgrade the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The cluster offers a broad look at two national-security challenges facing the Pentagon.

Payload

OSMOS X to lead European Defence Fund consortium studying responses to threats in orbit

The European Defence Fund has selected French on-orbit transportation startup OSMOS X to lead a coalition examining how European countries can respond to threats in orbit. The article does not specify the consortium’s membership, funding or timetable, but places orbital security and coordinated national response at the center of the study.

Space.com

Astroscale proposes 'bodyguard' spacecraft to protect satellites from orbital attacks

Astroscale says technologies developed to remove space debris and service malfunctioning satellites could be adapted into fleets of spacecraft that guard high-value orbital assets. The proposal repurposes on-orbit servicing capabilities for satellite protection, bringing commercial spacecraft and security missions into closer alignment.

SpaceNews.com

U.S. intelligence says China could field orbital directed-energy weapons by late 2020s

U.S. intelligence assesses that China could deploy directed-energy weapons in orbit before the end of the decade. The report points to a potential expansion of military capabilities in space, though the article provides no further details on the systems or timeline.

Ars Technica

Musk accuses Ukraine of violating Starlink terms over drone strikes; Kyiv says Starshield is back to normal

Ukraine says its military Starshield service has returned to normal and denies misusing Starlink’s commercial service, after Elon Musk accused it of violating the satellite network’s terms in connection with deadly drone strikes. The dispute puts renewed focus on the role and limits of commercial satellite connectivity in wartime operations.

SpaceNews.com

Space Force taps BAE Systems for satellite data-layer terminals amid $21B network modernization

Space Systems Command awarded BAE Systems a contract to design and demonstrate radio-frequency terminals for a space-based data layer. The award sits within a broader Space Force acquisition portfolio estimated at $21 billion for ground systems, communications networks and software supporting satellite operations and space-threat tracking.

SpaceNews.com

Space Force seeks commercial tech to modernize data networks and software