SpaceNews.com
• Jason Rainbow
Rocket Lab has introduced GHOST, a containerized launch system designed to deploy Electron and HASTE operations beyond permanent spaceports, giving military customers more flexible orbital and hypersonic test options. At the same time, the company says Neutron’s planned 2026 debut is increasingly at risk of slipping into 2027.
Space Defense & Militarization
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Rocket Lab has introduced GHOST, a containerized launch system designed to deploy Electron and HASTE operations beyond permanent spaceports, giving military customers more flexible orbital and hypersonic test options. At the same time, the company says Neutron’s planned 2026 debut is increasingly at risk of slipping into 2027.
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Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia is deploying Rassvet, a domestic Starlink-style satellite network, faster than planned, with 292 satellites targeted by 2027 and 924 by 2035. Moscow is also reportedly developing Volna-Kupol-Garant, a system designed to disrupt satellite communications at the spacecraft level.
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EnduroSat is partnering with the Bulgarian government to redevelop Dobroslavtsi, a former military airbase, into a space and defense development center. The project is positioned as a new hub for space-sector activity in Europe, linking Bulgaria’s former military infrastructure with emerging commercial space capabilities.
The Senate confirmed Erich Hernandez-Baquero to oversee U.S. military space acquisition and Roger Mason to lead the National Reconnaissance Office. The appointments place industry veterans atop two critical organizations responsible for acquiring military space systems and operating the nation’s spy satellite enterprise.
Elon Musk could permit Ukraine to use Starlink connectivity to help locate Russian missile launchers, potentially expanding the system’s role in the conflict beyond communications. The reported possibility underscores the operational and geopolitical significance of privately provided satellite infrastructure in wartime.
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The European Commission has agreed with an industrial consortium to expand and accelerate IRIS², its sovereign secure-connectivity constellation, with first launches targeted for 2029. Indra’s Hispasat will lead a services contract worth more than €1.6 billion, while total program investment is expected to exceed $18 billion.
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Katie Britt have introduced bipartisan legislation directing the Pentagon to strengthen U.S. Space Force training for a potential conflict with China. The bill signals congressional focus on aligning space-force readiness and education with the demands of strategic competition.
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