SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
The Pentagon says President Donald Trump’s $185 billion Golden Dome missile-defense initiative has established its first operational site at Fort Story, Virginia, and completed two key tests. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein warned that without continued funding—and a solution to a potential 2027 cliff—the program will stop.
Space Defense & Militarization
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Lockheed Martin is engineering multi-orbit mission capabilities that connect missile-warning, tracking and communications functions across space architectures. The company says the integration is intended to accelerate decision-making, reflecting the growing emphasis on resilient, interconnected space-based systems for national security missions.
Lt. Col. Rick Zellman, deputy commander of US Space Command, identified directed-energy weapons, cyberattacks and strikes on communications hubs as potential means of disabling large satellite constellations. His remarks underscore both the vulnerability of space-based networks and the emerging military interest in laser systems.
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The Pentagon says President Donald Trump’s $185 billion Golden Dome missile-defense initiative has established its first operational site at Fort Story, Virginia, and completed two key tests. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein warned that without continued funding—and a solution to a potential 2027 cliff—the program will stop.
A bipartisan pair of senators has introduced the Space Superiority Readiness Act, legislation aimed at ensuring the U.S. military is prepared for a potential conflict with Beijing in orbit. The bill signals continued congressional focus on strengthening America’s space-war readiness and strategic posture.
The U.S. Space Force has selected Voyager Technologies for a development award focused on space-to-space communications. The effort adds to the service’s work on communications capabilities designed to support connectivity between spacecraft in orbit, though the announcement does not disclose the award’s value, timeline or technical specifications.
Governments are expanding satellite capabilities as space-based intelligence becomes increasingly important to modern warfare, according to a space-technology executive. The war in Ukraine has intensified competition among countries to develop or acquire spy satellites, underscoring the growing strategic value of orbital surveillance.
SpaceX is expanding its role in missile defense, according to a summary from Huntsville, Alabama. The development points to a broader position for the company in national-security space and defense activity, though the available reporting does not specify the program, contract value, systems involved or timeline.
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Rocket Lab says its containerized GHOST infrastructure will enable more flexible Electron and HASTE operations beyond permanent launch sites, including military orbital and hypersonic test missions. Separately, the company cautioned that development challenges are narrowing Neutron’s 2026 debut window, raising the prospect of a first launch in 2027.
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