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• Sandra Erwin
The Senate confirmed Erich Hernandez-Baquero to oversee U.S. military space acquisition and Roger Mason to lead the National Reconnaissance Office. The appointments place industry veterans atop two critical organizations responsible for acquiring military space systems and operating the nation’s spy satellite enterprise.
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The Senate confirmed Erich Hernandez-Baquero to oversee U.S. military space acquisition and Roger Mason to lead the National Reconnaissance Office. The appointments place industry veterans atop two critical organizations responsible for acquiring military space systems and operating the nation’s spy satellite enterprise.
The Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess on Aug. 6 to lead the U.S. Space Force, succeeding Gen. Chance Saltzman, who is expected to retire in the coming months. Schiess, a career missile and space officer, will take command as the service prepares for expanded funding, personnel and missions amid competition with China.
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Katie Britt have introduced bipartisan legislation directing the Pentagon to strengthen U.S. Space Force training for a potential conflict with China. The bill signals congressional focus on aligning space-force readiness and education with the demands of strategic competition.
SpaceX launched and deployed three AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on Aug. 5. President Gwynne Shotwell said the company’s next-generation Starlink Mobile satellites are expected to launch in 2027, positioning the service to compete for customers of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
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Telesat secured its largest-ever Canadian defense contract, valued at roughly $1.63 billion to $1.9 billion, requiring 69 additional Lightspeed satellites for Arctic communications. Separately, the U.S. Space Force awarded $615 million for space-based airborne-target tracking, while Bombardier evaluates a Canadian GlobalEye modification facility.
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Rocket Lab has secured its largest-ever contract, a $266 million multi-launch deal with the U.S. Space Force for suborbital missile-defense launches. Separately, Japan’s iQPS signed for three dedicated Electron missions, underscoring Rocket Lab’s push across defense and commercial launch markets.
K2 has been selected to test satellite-to-satellite optical communications for the U.S. Space Force, a technology central to planned missile-warning and tracking networks. The capability is also expected to support the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile-defense architecture.
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