Via Satellite
• Rachel Jewett
SES has chosen Lyntris as payload integrator for its work on the U.S. Space Force’s Protected Tactical Satellite-Global program. The selection identifies a supplier role in a military satellite effort, but the available report provides no details on contract value, schedule or the payload’s capabilities.
Space Defense & Militarization
Latest source-backed stories
SES has chosen Lyntris as payload integrator for its work on the U.S. Space Force’s Protected Tactical Satellite-Global program. The selection identifies a supplier role in a military satellite effort, but the available report provides no details on contract value, schedule or the payload’s capabilities.
The U.S. Space Force has formally established and activated its component for U.S. Special Operations Command, creating a dedicated headquarters to integrate specialized space capabilities into special operations. Those missions rely on satellite communications, navigation and intelligence, and the move formalizes the service’s role in supporting them.
Proposals to move data centers into orbit seek access to abundant solar energy and room to expand, including for military operations. But concentrating computing infrastructure in space could expose it to missile attacks, jamming and cyberattacks, raising questions about the security and resilience of the concept.
Pasha Kravtsov says he wanted to join True Anomaly after a former colleague told him the company was working to counter a recently launched Russian military satellite. The account points to the company’s involvement in space-security operations, though the report provides no further details on the effort.
High activity
Global investment in the space economy is projected to exceed $100 billion in 2026 for the first time, with SpaceX’s expected blockbuster IPO, defense spending and infrastructure development cited as key drivers. Separate developments underscore the sector’s widening commercial reach, from Starlink’s spectrum ambitions in U.S. telecom to rapid growth in the UAE’s space economy.
The U.S. Army stress-tested Amazon’s nascent proliferated satellite communications network to assess its ability to deliver high-speed connectivity to soldiers in the field. The demonstration marks a step in Amazon Leo’s push into military communications as it develops a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Proposals for orbital data centers promise access to abundant solar power and room to scale, but could also put valuable computing infrastructure in a contested domain. The concern grows as militaries embrace artificial intelligence and treat computing facilities as critical infrastructure, raising the stakes of conflict in space.
High activity
Day-one discussions in Riyadh offered five lessons for Europe, drawing on perspectives from France’s ANFR, the UK’s Ofcom, Ookla, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and Foradori. The issues included the IRIS² satellite program, direct-to-device connectivity, spectrum negotiations ahead of the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference and space security.
Create a free account to see more recent Space Defense & Militarization stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
