Space Development Agency to consider commercial LEO options to augment DoD network

By Sandra Erwin, Publishd by Space News, 17 August 2023 SpaceX, Kuiper, Aalyria were selected to conduct three-month studies WASHINGTON — SpaceX, Kuiper Government Solutions and Aalyria Technologies were selected for market-research studies on how commercial systems could add capacity to the military’s future low Earth orbit constellation.  The U.S.

Read More

SDA asks industry for 100 satellites in latest move toward ‘global’ data constellation

The Space Development Agency will begin launching its first operational data transport satellites in 2024, part of the Space Force’s effort to build a space version of the internet. (Image: Northrop Grumman) By Theresa Hitchens, Published by Breaking Defense, 29 June 2023 The plan is to grant two contractors Other

Read More

Northrop Grumman gets $80 million Air Force contract for satcom experiments

By Sandra Erwin, Published by SpaceNews, 2 June 2023 The four-year contract is part of the DEUCSI (Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet) program run by the Air Force Research Laboratory. It’s a project to demonstrate the integration of commercial space internet services with military platforms and weapon systems. WASHINGTON

Read More

Northrop Grumman clears key design hurdle for military satellites in record time

By Chris Young, Published by Interesting Engineering, 19 April 2023 "Our T1TL solution builds on our decades of end-to-end mission expertise." Northrop Grumman completed a critical design review of a Space Development Agency (SDA) communications satellite in only 13 months. As SpaceNews points out, that is a fraction of the

Read More

The atmospheric reentry process generates extreme heat and mechanical loads, which lead to the satellite's disintegration at the altitude of about 45 miles. (Image credit: ESA)

Space debris problem spurs a bold change in US government regulations

By Elizabeth Howell, Publishd by Space.com, 12 April 2023 The Federal Communications Commission plans to streamline its space activities to meet fast-growing space safety needs. The fast-growing space debris issue is top of mind at a new space-focused division of the U.S. government. "Satellite and orbital debris rules" will be one of

Read More

Space Development Agency readies launch of first satellites for comms, missile tracking

By Theresa Hitchens, Published by Breaking Defense, 29 March 2023 The 10 satellites, which will be lofted on a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg SFB to low Earth orbit (LEO), are the first batch of the Tranche 0 constellation, building blocks of America's resilient space strategy. Editor’s Note 4/03/2023

Read More