Bloomberg
• Andrea Palasciano, Kollen Post
Ukraine’s parliament has approved in first reading a bill to establish Space Forces as a new branch of its armed forces. The proposal comes amid concerns about reliance on foreign satellite communications and the operational consequences of disruptions to that connectivity during the war.
Space Defense & Militarization
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Ukraine’s parliament has approved in first reading a bill to establish Space Forces as a new branch of its armed forces. The proposal comes amid concerns about reliance on foreign satellite communications and the operational consequences of disruptions to that connectivity during the war.
A report says a new Democratic Congress will likely drop the “Golden Dome” branding, though the initiative’s replacement name and the extent of any policy or program changes are not specified. The development points to potential congressional scrutiny of the initiative’s political framing.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s pad 4E at 4:48 p.m. PST (7:48 p.m. EST, 0048 UTC). The classified U.S. Space Force mission is thought to carry satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield platform.
The Secure World Foundation’s 2026 assessment says counterspace capabilities are under development in 13 countries across five categories, as of February. It examines the distinction between protecting space assets and preparing to attack them, alongside implications for international law and nuclear command and control.
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The U.S. Space Force selected Viasat under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to design, field and scale a Mission Operations Center for the Space Data Network Backbone. The center is intended to support operations of the service’s satellite data relay network; the award has a maximum value of $450 million.
An opinion piece argues that Russia’s recent rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO) involving X36 may have let it characterize ICEYE’s radar in enough detail to develop a ground-based jammer or spoofer for use in Ukraine next year. The article presents that potential capability as the likely reason for the maneuver.
Ukrainian military intelligence says Russia is already using its Rassvet satellite network, described as a homegrown Starlink equivalent, to support military communications over Ukraine. The network is intended to improve the accuracy of Russian strike drones and make them more resistant to jamming.
Christophe Bosquillon examines what Democratic control of both chambers of Congress could mean for U.S. space and defense policy, including NASA, the Space Force and the Golden Dome missile-defense initiative. The analysis also considers potential implications for Europe.
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