Military
Stories about military and national security missions in orbit.
Quantum Space Hunts Golden Dome With MDA Vet
“We’re going to be taking much greater advantage of the space domain.”
DIU Awards 14 Companies Hybrid Space Architecture Contracts
The Hybrid Space Architecture (HSA), which was established in 2022, aims to bridge military and commercial space assets and to speed up how quickly troops can access data—while also maintaining critical cybersecurity requirements.
ICEYE and Rheinmetall Form Sat Production Partnership
The new venture, called Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions, will split ownership 60/40 between Rheinmetall and ICEYE, respectively, and expects to begin production of SAR sats in the second quarter of next year.
IonQ Buys Capella Space For Quantum Comms Gambit
The all-stock deal valued Capella at $311M, according to SEC filings and yesterday’s $IONQ closing price.
Ursa Major Had A Hot Week
The propulsion firm is carving out a niche in the fields of highest interest to the Pentagon.
Europe’s Space Defense Industry Sees Opportunity in Discord
European governments have unshackled budget rules and funded a five-year rearmament plan.
Op-ed: A Resilient Europe Means Learning from the US Model
Amid shifting global power balances and an ongoing war on European soil, it’s more important than ever for Europe to quickly address its fragmented, painfully slow, and overly cautious procurement process—or risk permanently lagging behind those who want to do it harm.
AeroVironment Acquires BlueHalo in $4.1B Deal
As warfare becomes increasingly dependent on space-based infrastructure and the link between space capabilities and terrestrial systems, AV aims to use its technologies to connect military tech in different domains.
True Anomaly Raises $260M Series C
While the company has only sent three of its Jackal satellites to LEO so far, its goal is to take on higher and higher orbits with Jackal missions to GEO and cislunar space as soon as next year.
Tumbling Russian Sat Highlights Counterspace Threat
A prototype anti-sat weapon Russia launched into orbit in 2022 is tumbling out of control, according to commercial SSA companies who spotted it. That’s a sign the spacecraft is no longer functional.
Lockheed Martin Invests $2M in Farcast
Farcast’s technology aims to increase the US military’s satcom connectivity, especially for highly mobile troops. The company’s main competitive advantage, however, may lie in its high-quality user terminals produced at low cost.
EOs, Commercial Cooperation, and Culture: A Recap of Polaris After Dark
The Trump administration has ordered the Pentagon to speed up its defense acquisition process. That will require trained staff to quickly get new commercial tech under contract, according to Col. Richard Kniseley, the senior materiel leader of Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office.
NRO Launches First Payload Under New NatSec Contract
The NROL-145 launch is the first under the Space Force’s Phase 3 Lane 1 rubric—a launch contracting mechanism that will spend $5.6B on relatively simple launches with fewer requirements, which might suit new entrants to the national security launch game.
