Stories about military and national security missions in orbit.
“It’s not supposed to be even touched until 2027. Now they’re saying that’s probably too long. So let’s talk about—is now the time, based on what’s happening in the world,” Col. Jonathan Whitaker told Payload on the sidelines of Space Symposium.
Dust off that nameplate: Derek Tournear is taking his corner office back. The former leader of the Space Development Agency (SDA) will return to his old job on April 17, following three months of administrative leave.
They focus on tech ranging from high-res imaging, mission planning, non-Earth imaging, and carrying and dispensing small sats in orbit (not unlike how an aircraft carrier operates at sea).
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the smaller, less resourced Ukrainian military was able to fight back in part thanks to innovative commercial tech, according to top execs.
Leaders from L3Harris argued that the company has already demonstrated many technologies that will be central to the Golden Dome architecture.
The first US military satellite launched in 1958. The first one that will be able to fly longer than a single tank of fuel will launch next year.
Firefly will conduct a responsive space mission for DoD as early as 2027, which will include capabilities such as conducting space domain operations in LEO.
There is a widespread acknowledgement that future conflicts will take place, at least partially, in space.
Using photometric sensors, Slingshot can spot an orbital object’s unique light-based “fingerprint” to help the DoD understand the technology that America’s adversaries are deploying in space.
Defense acquisitions are too slow to keep up with the needs of the moment, and the administration’s new defense appointees are planning to do something about it.
The president wants a Golden Dome missile defense system, and the space industry is standing ready to get him one.
“I’m very hopeful that the case the Space Force marks means a lot of that money will come back into our budget,” he said, adding that the Trump administration’s “Golden Dome” missile defense proposal could actually lead to national security space programs getting more resources.
