Military
Stories about military and national security missions in orbit.
A Q&A on Hypersonic Glide Vehicles
What’s the expert view on hypersonic glide vehicles, in light of recent news? To get some answers, we spoke with Jaganath Sankaran, a professor at UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs. Sankaran’s research spans space weapons, missile defense, and arms control policy. NB: HGV = hypersonic glide vehicle; FOBS = fractional orbital bombardment system. Payload…
Report: China Tests Hypersonic Glide Vehicle in Low-Earth Orbit
China conducted a successful test of a hypersonic glide vehicle over the summer, according to an in-depth report published by the Financial Times. The FT’s story draws on interviews with five unnamed officials. The purported launch and covert demonstration of the vehicle, which glides around space, caught US intelligence agencies off guard. The nuclear-capable spacecraft travels through…
Orbit Fab, AFRL Sign R&D Agreement
Orbit Fab and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have struck a partnership to share technology and R&D. What does that mean in practice? Per yesterday’s announcement, Orbit Fab will share the specs of RAFTI, its on-orbit refueling port, with AFRL. In return, AFRL will review Orbit Fab’s refueling tech, “advise on requirements and designs,”…
Report: Cyber Group Targeted Aerospace and Telco Sectors
An Iranian hacking group has targeted a global array of aerospace and telecom companies since at least 2018, according to research published by Cybereason last week. The Boston cybersecurity firm refers to the previously unidentified cyber group as “MalKamak.” MalKamak’s espionage campaign was dubbed “Operation Ghostshell.” Cybereason, which discovered the group earlier this year, didn’t name the…
