Space Defense & Militarization News

Via Satellite

True Anomaly describes “space pursuit” during Victus Haze for U.S. Space Force, pairing Rocket Lab’s Puma with Jackal-0004

True Anomaly says its Victus Haze mission for the U.S. Space Force executed a “space pursuit” between Rocket Lab-built Puma and True Anomaly Jackal-0004. The company frames the engagement as a space-to-space pursuit as part of the mission’s planned activities.

SpaceNews.com

High activity

Space Force awards SpaceX $1.6B for 18 Falcon 9 launches under NSSL Phase 3

The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX two task orders worth $1.6 billion to launch 18 Falcon 9 missions by 2027, supporting Pentagon “sensing and targeting” satellite constellations for detecting and targeting airborne objects. The awards mark the largest publicly announced batch under NSSL Phase 3 and were issued after the service’s July 17 $11.4 billion plus-up to the Phase 3 Lane 1 ceiling.

Space Intel Report

Spain plans up to $2.3B for secure national satellite broadband, to plug into Europe’s IRIS2 multi-orbit network

Spain will invest up to $2.3 billion in a national secure satellite broadband constellation, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said July 29. The system is intended to integrate into Europe’s IRIS2 multi-orbit network as part of Spain’s broader defense capability buildup.

Space.com

SpaceX to launch U.S. “secret” spy satellite on July 30

SpaceX is preparing an early-morning launch on Thursday, July 30, for a classified U.S. government reconnaissance mission. The company plans a live webcast of the event, underscoring the continued outsourcing of national security space launch activity to commercial providers.

Wall Street Journal

China closes the satellite “gap” with the U.S., improving ISR visibility in the space race

Beijing is steadily narrowing the advantage held by U.S. space capabilities by expanding and upgrading its satellite systems to gain a clearer view of American activities. The shift signals accelerating competition across space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Payload

Space launches and defense-backed space services: NRO’s NROL-95 set for a Falcon 9 liftoff from Cape Canaveral; Rocket Lab wins

SpaceX plans to launch the National Reconnaissance Office’s NROL-95 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Rocket Lab also secured up to $266 million from the U.S. Space Force for as many as 18 suborbital missile-defense launches from Alaska.

Breaking Defense

DARPA’s “Rads to Watts” selects seven teams to develop long-life miniature nuclear power cells

DARPA’s Rads to Watts program is funding seven competing teams to create a new class of miniature power cells intended to run for years or decades without recharging. The effort targets breakthrough pathways to deliver compact, persistent energy for defense-relevant systems.

Space Intel Report

NATO officials press for more satellite capacity as Satcom Services 6 relies on federated national space assets

NATO officials have emphasized the need for additional satellite capacity to meet alliance requirements, including through the existing capacity-sharing framework under NATO Satcom Services 6. The approach depends on national satellite contributions from the US, France, Britain, Italy, Spain and Luxembourg—raising questions about scalability for emerging surveillance and telecom needs.