The Hottest Trend in Space Is A Defense Pivot
“If I had a nickel for every space company that pivoted to national security, well, I wouldn’t need to raise another round,” one spacetech founder mulling that exact strategy told Payload this week.
Military
Stories about military and national security missions in orbit.
US Launches 122 Defense Payloads in 2024, Europe Launches 1
The US launched 122 defense payloads in 2024, surging 184% YoY, according to data compiled by astronomer Jonathan McDowell. The upswing was driven by the National Reconnaissance Office’s deployment of 106 SpaceX and Northrop-built Starshield remote sensing recon satellites.
Redwire Plans To Buy UAS Builder to Further NatSec Biz
Redwire intends to acquire Edge Autonomy, an uncrewed airborne system builder (UAS), to boost its ability to offer national security customers a suite of interconnected platforms across domains.
Slingshot Wins Contract to Detect GPS Jamming and Spoofing
PNT-SENTINEL will take advantage of a mesh network of thousands of satellites to identify locations of GPS interference on the ground.
Kendall Predicts Bigger, Stronger Space Force By 2050
“Space is going to be the decisive domain. The ability of the entire joint force to project power depends upon our success in space,” he said in his final think tank engagement as Air Force secretary.
Trump’s Bid to Buy Greenland Highlights Arctic’s Role in Space Security
“Space dominance is the new frontier of military superiority,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) posted recently on X. “By having a presence this far north, we maintain the edge in satellite communications, navigation, and situational awareness.”
He Helped Create the Space Force. Now He Wants to Arm It.
“If the world was going to end in an hour, I’d spend 55 minutes on the problem and five minutes on the solution.”
Maxar Wins €13.6M Contract with Dutch MoD
The award comes as European allies look to boost their independent space and intel capabilities, in this case doing so by working with a commercial partner.
Space Launch Delta 45 Breaks Launch Record in 2024
Despite the Space Force’s bold plans for 2025, many in the space industry believe that US launch capacity may be nearing its zenith.
Op-ed: DoD’s Constellation Plans Need New Acquisition Strategy
The Space Force has proven the government can launch a sat on short notice—but you can’t launch what you haven’t built.
2024 Top 5: National Security Space
In 2024, the Defense Department built on its efforts to deepen ties with the commercial sector, including releasing its first formal strategy to govern cooperation with industry and expanding its use of commercial space imagery.
Our Top 10 National Security Space Takeaways For 2024
As commercial and scientific traffic picks up in space from actors around the world, the US military space community has spent 2024 making sure they’re prepared to secure the flourishing domain.