Space.com
• Brett Tingley
The U.S. military has conducted its first “live fly” exercise simulating orbital dogfighting, testing the ability to maneuver persistently and at scale in space. The exercise reflects a shift toward operationalizing space-based maneuver and contesting control of the orbital environment.
Space Defense & Militarization
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The U.S. military has conducted its first “live fly” exercise simulating orbital dogfighting, testing the ability to maneuver persistently and at scale in space. The exercise reflects a shift toward operationalizing space-based maneuver and contesting control of the orbital environment.
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The Pentagon now expects to procure 337 national-security launch services, up from 151 in its 2022 baseline, as the U.S. military and intelligence community expand satellite deployments. The increase underscores rising demand for launch capacity while newer providers struggle to displace SpaceX’s dominant position.
Gen. Douglas Schiess became chief of space operations on Sept. 3, succeeding Gen. B. Chance Saltzman after nearly four years at the helm of the almost-seven-year-old service. Schiess assumes command as the Space Force confronts workforce shortages and continues building its institutional foundation.
A war-game scenario challenges the assumption that the United States would be the only nation to deploy a Golden Dome-style system. China’s parallel capability would reshape the strategic balance in space and intensify pressure for competing defensive and counter-space investments.
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German startup Isar Aerospace placed six satellites into orbit from Norway’s Andøya Space Center on Sept. 5, succeeding on the Spectrum rocket’s second flight. The mission makes Isar the first European commercial space company to reach orbit and gives Europe a new sovereign launch capability.
The U.S. Space Force is investing $50 million in a startup developing a new method to dispatch small spacecraft from a larger vehicle in orbit. The effort could introduce another approach to moving and deploying satellites after launch, with potential implications for future military space operations.
A U.S. military program has demonstrated an aircraft navigation system that uses Earth’s magnetic field rather than GPS signals or satellites. The technology could reduce military reliance on vulnerable space-based positioning infrastructure while preserving highly accurate navigation in contested or degraded environments.
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