Bloomberg
• Gerry Doyle
Satellites help Ukraine detect when Russian missiles and drones have been launched and provide information that can support interception, making space-based surveillance a key part of the country’s defense alongside weapons. The article describes the role of U.S. space-based capabilities in that effort.
Space Defense & Militarization
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Satellites help Ukraine detect when Russian missiles and drones have been launched and provide information that can support interception, making space-based surveillance a key part of the country’s defense alongside weapons. The article describes the role of U.S. space-based capabilities in that effort.
SpaceX launched a classified U.S. Space Force mission from California on Oct. 15, its 114th Falcon 9 flight of the year, and landed the booster on a droneship. Separately, NearSpace Launch plans to fly its TROOP-F6 spacecraft on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-6 rideshare mission in April 2027 for space-weather and space situational-awareness missions.
A proposed Montana “Super Range” would add capacity to test autonomous weapons, space and electronic-warfare technologies, supersonics and hypersonics. Separately, Kratos and the Department of War are expanding infrastructure for AN/SPY-1 radar sustainment and hypersonic thermal-protection evaluation, while Kratos reports a combat drone’s first European flight and progress in turbojet production.
BlackSky Technology announced a seven-figure extension contract Oct. 15 with Australian non-Earth imagery company HEO. The agreement extends their work to gather imagery of objects beyond Earth, linking BlackSky’s capabilities with HEO’s specialized imagery business.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) says he and Senate colleagues will ask the Defense Department inspector general to investigate Ukraine’s sudden loss of access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink. The disruption reportedly hampered Ukrainian forces’ ability to intercept Russian drones.
BlackSky Technology signed a seven-figure deal to extend its partnership with non-Earth imaging provider HEO for another year. The renewed agreement adds BlackSky’s Gen-3 imagery to support space domain awareness.
Gen. Stephen Whiting says the military needs the ability to fight an adversary’s fleet of low Earth orbit satellites, identifying gaps in current space arms. The remarks underscore the growing focus on countering satellite constellations as a military capability.
A warning that the United States is unprepared for conflict in space underscores the vulnerability of satellite-dependent systems. Widespread disruption to satellites could cripple the global economy, making the resilience and protection of space infrastructure a consequential issue beyond the military domain.
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