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SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Trump nominates Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion and next Chief of Space Operations

President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion to four-star general and selection as the next Chief of Space Operations. The pick places a career operator atop the U.S. Space Force as the service prepares for more contested space missions.

2026-05-01T06:15:05.921695-07:00

SpaceNews.com

DARPA funds studies for lunar orbiter concepts to hunt water ice in very low orbits

2026-05-01T04:52:03.214073-07:00

NASA Spaceflight

Russia debuts Soyuz-5, completing first flight test ahead of entry into service

2026-04-30T15:04:20.219619-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Space Force advances laser crosslink flight hardware with K2 Space to test missile-defense data links

2026-04-30T18:11:55.729130-07:00

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SpaceNews.com

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Trump nominates Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion and next Chief of Space Operations President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion to four-star general and selection as the next Chief of Space Operations. The pick places a career operator atop the U.S. Space Force as the service prepares for more contested space missions.

2026-05-01T06:15:05.921695-07:00

Trump nominates Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion and next Chief of Space Operations

SpaceNews.com

DARPA funds studies for lunar orbiter concepts to hunt water ice in very low orbits DARPA has awarded contracts to three companies to study lunar-mission concepts aimed at searching for water ice from very low orbits. The effort targets improved sensing/operations profiles for locating lunar volatiles and refining where future measurements and missions should focus.

2026-05-01T04:52:03.214073-07:00

DARPA funds studies for lunar orbiter concepts to hunt water ice in very low orbits

SpaceNews.com

Space Force advances laser crosslink flight hardware with K2 Space to test missile-defense data links The U.S. Space Force will use K2 Space-built satellites to evaluate a key, previously unresolved element for future missile-defense systems: moving large volumes of data quickly between spacecraft and down to Earth via laser communications. Separately, the Space Force’s Laser Crosslink program has cleared independent verification and entered Phase 3 development toward flight hardware production.

2026-04-30T18:11:55.729130-07:00

Space Force advances laser crosslink flight hardware with K2 Space to test missile-defense data links

SpaceNews.com

Northrop Grumman delivers missile-warning sensor as Pentagon moves to cancel Space Force satellite program Northrop Grumman says it has taken delivery of a missile-warning sensor for a U.S. Space Force satellite program the Pentagon is now proposing to cancel. The development underscores friction between legacy space procurement execution and a shift toward newer architectures.

2026-04-30T16:24:46.828695-07:00

Northrop Grumman delivers missile-warning sensor as Pentagon moves to cancel Space Force satellite program

SpaceNews.com

BENS to spotlight space security at 2026 Eisenhower Award Gala honoring Gen. Stephen N. Whiting Business Executives for National Security (BENS) will make space security a focal theme at the 2026 Eisenhower Award Gala, where public and private leaders will convene to honor General Stephen N. Whiting. The event underscores continued attention to contested-orbit risk management as the space enterprise expands.

2026-04-30T15:19:44.575322-07:00

BENS to spotlight space security at 2026 Eisenhower Award Gala honoring Gen. Stephen N. Whiting

NASA Spaceflight

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Russia debuts Soyuz-5, completing first flight test ahead of entry into service Russia conducted the debut launch of its new Soyuz-5 medium-lift rocket from Baikonur/Baikonur Cosmodrome, flying a suborbital demonstration with a dummy payload. State officials and Roscosmos reported the mission as successful, framing it as foundational work for follow-on Soyuz-5 projects intended to replace the Zenit launch system.

2026-04-30T15:04:20.219619-07:00

Russia debuts Soyuz-5, completing first flight test ahead of entry into service

The War Zone

US Air Force plans to retire E-11A BACN communications jets by 2028, shift battlefield comms and data fusion to space The U.S. Air Force says it has seven E-11s in the current fleet and plans to retire all E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft in 2028. The service will replace their BACN role with the emerging Department of the Air Force Battle Network, bridging with a hybrid SATCOM terminal.

2026-04-30T12:22:56.118625-07:00

US Air Force plans to retire E-11A BACN communications jets by 2028, shift battlefield comms and data fusion to space

Space Intel Report

Indra acquisition of Hispasat and Hisdesat boosts Q1 results; Europe’s Iris2 confirmed, Startical air-traffic constellation stil Indra Group said its acquisition of satellite fleet operator Hispasat and military satellite services provider Hisdesat has materially increased the scale and profitability of its space business, setting up an expanded space portfolio. Indra also indicated Europe’s Iris2 program is “real,” while the Startical air-traffic constellation’s path remains uncertain.

2026-04-30T11:31:54.215043-07:00

Indra acquisition of Hispasat and Hisdesat boosts Q1 results; Europe’s Iris2 confirmed, Startical air-traffic constellation stil

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Space Defense & Militarization News

Trump nominates Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion and next Chief of Space Operations

DARPA funds studies for lunar orbiter concepts to hunt water ice in very low orbits

Russia debuts Soyuz-5, completing first flight test ahead of entry into service

Space Force advances laser crosslink flight hardware with K2 Space to test missile-defense data links

News Timeline