By Samanth Subramanian, Published by New Republic, 29 June 2026 Space exploration is a rapidly growing industry. But its goal is dominance, not discovery. Two versions of history began when, one fall night in 1957, a two-stage rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and deposited a Soviet satellite called
Iridium low-Earth orbit commercial satellite constellation: Iridium By Jeff Foust, Published by Space News, 29 June 2026 WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab is acquiring satellite telecommunications company Iridium for $8 billion as part of its effort to become an end-to-end space company. The companies announced an agreement June 29 under which
Illustration of Tracking Layer Tranche 3 spacecraft. Credit: Northrop Grumman By Sandra Erwin, Published by Space News, 25 June 2026 Committee urges more competition in satellite communications and criticizes reliance on reconciliation to fund Golden Dome WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee on June 24 advanced a fiscal 2027 defense
The Army established its new Space Operations Branch on June 12, marking a historic milestone in its continuous transformation to meet the challenges of modern, multidomain warfare. (U.S. Army graphic by Allen Meeks) (Allen Meeks) By Brooke Nevins Parcus, Published by US Army, 25 June 2026 REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. —
(Image credit: U.S. Space Force) By Thomas Novelly, Published by Defense One, 23 June 2026 A new Mitchell Institute report looked at wide-ranging war scenarios. The Space Force needs to better define its policies regarding conflict in space and better rehearse for various scenarios, a new research paper argues. The paper flowed
Artist's illustration of a Starfall reentry vehicle separating from a satellite in low-Earth orbit. SpaceX's Starship is in the background. Credit: SpaceX By Stephen Clark, Published by Ars Technica, 23 June 2026 The purpose of Starfall is to support the “transport and delivery of goods through space.” A SpaceX Falcon
By Paul Scharre, Published by Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2026 How New Technologies Threaten America’s Military Advantage In its recent campaign against Iran, the United States dominated the skies using its traditional airpower. The U.S. military pounded Iranian targets, conducting over 13,000 strikes. That prowess and devastating firepower did not
A view of a Rocket Lab Electron Rocket.Photo: Rocket Lab By Courtney Albon, Published by Air and Space Forces, 22 June 2026 The Space Force started its second live Tactically Responsive Space mission June 19, working with a contractor to launch a satellite to low-Earth orbit in less than 17
