Rendering of Orbit Fab’s refueling service architecture consists of propellant depots in various orbits, and shuttles that will deliver fuel from those depots to client spacecraft. Credit: Orbit Fab By Sandra Erwin, Published by Space News, 31 March 2025 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force is preparing a series of
A Long March 3B carrier rocket carrying an experimental satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on December 30, 2021 in Xichang, China. Liu Guoxing / VCG via Getty Images By Sujita Sinha, Published by Interesting Engineering, 10 March 2025 US Space Force officials worry China’s space stealth
A Falcon Heavy rocket prepared for launch from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Dec. 27, 2023, carrying a Space Force X-37B orbital test vehicle. U.S. Space Force By Audrey Decker, Published by Defense One, 8 April 2024 The young service is focusing on contested space—even as its budgets return to Earth.
An artist's rendering of the APS-R, which will refuel other spacecraft in orbit - SwRI By Michael Franco, Published by New Atlas, 4 April 2024 A spacecraft about the size of a gas pump is being developed for the US Space Force program to refuel orbiting satellites. The goal is
By Ashish Dangwal, Published by The Eurasian Times, 23 March 2024 According to the US Air Force think tank, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is training its satellite operators for on-orbit satellite refueling, a crucial capability for managing space logistics in both peacetime and wartime scenarios. This revelation, disclosed in a report
In a visualization by the space tracking company ExoAnalytic, China’s Shijian-21 satellite is seen docking with Compass G2, a defunct Chinese satellite in geostationary Earth orbit. Credit: ExoAnalytic Solutions By Andrew Jones, Published by Space News, 22 March 2024 HELSINKI — The People’s Liberation Army is working comprehensively on the technology and
Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman was nominated by President Joe Biden July 27 to be the second Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force. (U.S. Space Force) By Audrey Decker, Published by Defense One, 12 March 2024 But spending caps will slow counterspace efforts, space chief says in
Artist’s depiction of OSAM-1 docking with a satellite. Image: NASA By George Dvorsky, Published by Gizmodo, 4 March 2024 The complex project was beset by technical difficulties, cost overruns, and a lackluster performance from the main contractor, Maxar. An ambitious NASA project designed to test satellite refueling in space, known as
