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• Sandra Erwin
United Launch Alliance is preparing to return Vulcan to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will conduct a separate review before permitting the rocket to resume national security launches. The process adds an additional gate between Vulcan’s commercial return and military mission certification.
Space Force
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United Launch Alliance is preparing to return Vulcan to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will conduct a separate review before permitting the rocket to resume national security launches. The process adds an additional gate between Vulcan’s commercial return and military mission certification.
The U.S. Space Force has named its ground moving target indication program and selected Northrop Grumman as its prime contractor. Separately, the service plans to issue its first operational space domain awareness contracts to commercial firms “very soon,” Col. Timothy Tremailo said.
U.S. Space Command is seeking additional capabilities to target adversaries in space while building foundational systems for future cislunar operations, including space domain awareness and satellite communications, Gen. Stephen Whiting said. The comments outline capability priorities as military activity expands beyond geostationary orbit.
The U.S. Space Force will let SpaceX determine the number and configuration of spacecraft for a new $2.3 billion low-Earth-orbit satellite network, specifying required performance rather than prescribing the system’s architecture. The approach gives the contractor greater flexibility in designing the military constellation.
New investments across the defense industrial base are targeting the design, engineering and manufacturing capacity needed to respond to demand signals from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. The activity points to an industrial response focused on strengthening the supply base and production readiness.
The Space Force’s new acquisition chief, Hernandez-Baquero, is focused on implementing the service’s recently completed acquisition overhaul. The immediate objective is to accelerate delivery of satellites, weapons and other capabilities while translating organizational changes into operational results.
Air Force and Space Force leaders are prioritizing faster production and larger inventories of weapons and space capabilities, even as supply-chain constraints continue to limit industrial capacity. The shift puts scalability, manufacturing resilience and the defense sector’s ability to deliver at speed at the center of acquisition strategy.
The U.S. Space Force plans to add 10,000 uniformed personnel over the next five years, effectively doubling its ranks. At the same time, officials are testing redesigned mess dress uniforms, including versions with pockets for women, ahead of a broader rollout.
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