News

SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Northrop Grumman’s LR-450 compact inertial navigation system targets GPS gaps for mid-size spacecraft

Northrop Grumman is introducing the LR-450, a compact, lightweight positioning-and-navigation system designed to maintain continuous spacecraft tracking and attitude/orientation even when satellite signals are unavailable. The inertial navigation platform is derived from technologies developed for the James Webb Space Telescope and targets the growing PNT navigation challenge beyond Earth orbit.

2026-05-13T07:26:11.975612-07:00

Space Intel Report

Eutelsat reports Q1 revenue jump as OneWeb-backed LEO growth offsets weaker US government demand; OneWeb revenue up 65%

2026-05-13T05:23:24.336537-07:00

SpaceNews.com

CBO: Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense could cost ~$1.2T over 20 years, with space-based interceptors the biggest driver

2026-05-12T15:14:25.264888-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Space Force awards TrustPoint $4M TACFI contract to demo GPS-independent LEO PNT system

2026-05-12T07:30:46.768508-07:00

News Timeline

Ars Technica

US launches nuclear-in-orbit wargame to model how an LEO detonation could degrade orbit for up to a year U.S. officials say a simulated nuclear detonation in low Earth orbit could render portions of orbit “useless” for as long as a year, shaping degraded-operations scenarios for commanders. The new military wargame series tests consequences for space operations and decision-making under nuclear-induced orbital disruption.

2026-05-13T12:13:16.645141-07:00

US launches nuclear-in-orbit wargame to model how an LEO detonation could degrade orbit for up to a year

SpaceNews.com

❗️

Northrop Grumman’s LR-450 compact inertial navigation system targets GPS gaps for mid-size spacecraft Northrop Grumman is introducing the LR-450, a compact, lightweight positioning-and-navigation system designed to maintain continuous spacecraft tracking and attitude/orientation even when satellite signals are unavailable. The inertial navigation platform is derived from technologies developed for the James Webb Space Telescope and targets the growing PNT navigation challenge beyond Earth orbit.

2026-05-13T07:26:11.975612-07:00

Northrop Grumman’s LR-450 compact inertial navigation system targets GPS gaps for mid-size spacecraft

Space Intel Report

Eutelsat reports Q1 revenue jump as OneWeb-backed LEO growth offsets weaker US government demand; OneWeb revenue up 65% Eutelsat says revenue for the three months ended March 31 rose 11.8% from government business, as demand for military-related capacity outpaced slack in US government spending. OneWeb revenue increased 65% in Q1, helping lift overall results, while Eutelsat’s LEO scale continues to offset declines in video-related activity.

2026-05-13T05:23:24.336537-07:00

Eutelsat reports Q1 revenue jump as OneWeb-backed LEO growth offsets weaker US government demand; OneWeb revenue up 65%

Breaking Defense

Latvia tests UGV comms in dense forest where Starlink-linked systems falter Latvian reports say unmanned ground vehicles encountered significant communication problems while operating in densely forested areas, with many incidents involving systems relying on Starlink. The episode highlights a practical connectivity gap for ground robotics in challenging terrain, with potential operational impacts during decentralized missions.

2026-05-13T01:57:09.373330-07:00

Latvia tests UGV comms in dense forest where Starlink-linked systems falter

SpaceNews.com

CBO: Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense could cost ~$1.2T over 20 years, with space-based interceptors the biggest driver The Congressional Budget Office estimates a national missile defense architecture broadly aligned with President Trump’s “Golden Dome” executive order would cost about $1.2 trillion over the next two decades. The CBO report says space-based interceptors are the largest cost component—far above the Pentagon’s public estimate of roughly $185 billion.

2026-05-12T15:14:25.264888-07:00

CBO: Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense could cost ~$1.2T over 20 years, with space-based interceptors the biggest driver

SpaceNews.com

Quantum Space to build maneuverable spacecraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma, aligning production with its new executive base Quantum Space says it will build its highly maneuverable spacecraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leveraging the city as the location of the company’s new chief executive. The decision ties the next phase of spacecraft development to an updated leadership and operations footprint in the US.

2026-05-12T12:24:46.032528-07:00

Quantum Space to build maneuverable spacecraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma, aligning production with its new executive base

SpaceNews.com

Space Force awards TrustPoint $4M TACFI contract to demo GPS-independent LEO PNT system TrustPoint, a Virginia startup, received a $4 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate an end-to-end, GPS-independent positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) system. The effort targets a first-of-its-kind GPS backup/complement layer using low-Earth-orbit navigation.

2026-05-12T07:30:46.768508-07:00

Space Force awards TrustPoint $4M TACFI contract to demo GPS-independent LEO PNT system

SpaceWatch Global

❗️

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace team on sea-based launch mission concepts and flight demos Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace will collaborate on mission-application concepts and flight-demonstration projects using Seagate’s Gateway offshore launch platform. The effort extends their work to operationalize maritime launch options for national-security payloads, linking systems integration with offshore infrastructure validation.

2026-05-12T00:56:56.937973-07:00

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace team on sea-based launch mission concepts and flight demos

Menu

Space Defense & Militarization News

Northrop Grumman’s LR-450 compact inertial navigation system targets GPS gaps for mid-size spacecraft

Eutelsat reports Q1 revenue jump as OneWeb-backed LEO growth offsets weaker US government demand; OneWeb revenue up 65%

CBO: Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense could cost ~$1.2T over 20 years, with space-based interceptors the biggest driver

Space Force awards TrustPoint $4M TACFI contract to demo GPS-independent LEO PNT system

News Timeline