Defense

A collection of 167 posts

Defense

MDA Space Launches Defence Variant of Aurora Software-Defined Satellite

MDA Space has introduced MDA Aurora Black, a defence-focused extension of its Aurora software-defined satellite product line built to deliver secure and resilient communications for government and military customers. The company announced the product on September 10, 2026, positioning it to address military satellite communications requirements in contested

Defense

Space Force Moves Toward New GPS Ground Control Program Months After OCX Cancellation

The U.S. Space Force appears ready to launch a new program to modernize the GPS ground command-and-control segment, less than six months after canceling the troubled Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as OCX. The effort would upgrade the ground infrastructure that operates the GPS satellite constellation.

Defense

Space Force Picks Lake Kickapoo, Texas, To Complete DARC Radar Triad

The U.S. Space Force has selected a remote location near Lake Kickapoo in northern Texas as the third and final site for its next-generation ground-based space domain awareness network. The choice completes a three-site global triad designed to track objects in deep space, including in geostationary

Defense

SpaceX Sets Vandenberg Launch of Classified USSF-153 Space Force Mission

SpaceX is preparing to launch USSF-153, a classified mission for the United States Space Force, aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is targeted for 15:42 UTC on September 10, 2026, within a three-hour window opening at 15:37 UTC. The mission

Defense

Canada Opens Direct Space Career Path for Enlisted Members

The Canadian Armed Forces created a new occupation this summer allowing non-commissioned members to enroll and build careers as space professionals from the outset, rather than transferring in from other trades. Brig. Gen. Chris Horner disclosed the move on a Sept. 4 episode of the CGAI Podcast Network'

Defense

Space Force Clears Design Review for Second Batch of MEO Missile-Warning Satellites

The U.S. Space Force has completed the critical design review for the second batch of its new missile warning and tracking satellites destined for medium Earth orbit, Space Systems Command announced Sept. 8. The milestone advances the MEO layer of the service's next-generation missile-warning architecture.

Defense

U.S. Space Command Completes First Exercise on Dynamic Satellite Maneuvers

U.S. Space Command has completed its first exercise focused on how military satellites could move more dynamically in orbit. The exercise used actual spacecraft operating across low, medium and geosynchronous orbits, demonstrating the ability to reposition assets across different orbital regimes. The exercise marks an early step in testing

Markets

AvL Technologies Wins $31 Million Deal to Supply WGS-Certified Satellite Terminals to Poland

AvL Technologies signed a $31 million contract with Polish defense supplier GISS Sp. z o.o. to deliver WGS-certified tactical satellite communications terminals for Poland's Ministry of National Defence. The agreement, announced September 8, 2026, ties Polish forces to the U.S. military's Wideband Global

Policy

UK Unveils £7.8 Billion Space Strategy Centred on Defence and Satellite Communications

The UK government launched a new national space strategy on Tuesday, backed by a record £7.8 billion to 2030, that unites investment in growth, defence, and national security under a single plan. The strategy treats space as an increasingly important domain for national security and includes plans to design

Defense

Gilmour Space and Hypersonix Join Forces on Australian Hypersonic Flight Testing

Queensland aerospace companies Gilmour Space Technologies and Hypersonix have signed an agreement to develop hypersonic flight-test capability for defence and commercial programs in Australia and overseas. The partnership pairs Gilmour Space's rocket propulsion and launch capabilities with Hypersonix's scramjet propulsion and hypersonic vehicle technology, and

Defense

Lawrence Livermore Telescope Tracks Satellite in Space Force Responsive-Launch Exercise

A Rocket Lab spacecraft carrying an optical payload developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory tracked another satellite during a U.S. Space Force exercise. The test evaluated how quickly a spacecraft can be launched and put to work inspecting objects in orbit. The exercise was tied to the Space Force&

Defense

Space Force Expands Space-Based Air Tracking Vendor Pool to 12 Companies

The U.S. Space Force has widened its vendor pool for the nascent space-based air moving target indicator program to 12 companies, with three additional firms now visible on public-facing websites. Blue Origin, Boeing and Umbra are now listed as SB-AMTI vendors, an expansion that underscores how

Policy

Pentagon to Deploy Nearly 50 Secure Facilities to Open Classified Space Work to Startups

The Pentagon unveiled a program called the Secure Space Network that will deploy close to 50 secure compartmented information facilities across the country. The initiative is designed to improve access to classified information for smaller businesses seeking to work with the military, lowering a barrier that has kept startups out

Satellites

Chinese Reconnaissance Satellite Fragments in Rare Retrograde Orbit

Yaogan-50 (02), a Chinese military reconnaissance satellite launched earlier this year into an unusual retrograde orbit, has suffered an apparent fragmentation event, generating a field of debris. The breakup marks the loss of an operational reconnaissance platform in an orbital regime rarely used by military satellites. The satellite reached

Defense

Schiess Assumes Command as Space Force's Third Chief of Space Operations

Gen. Douglas Schiess took over as the U.S. Space Force's third chief of space operations on Sept. 3, succeeding Gen. Chance Saltzman. The transfer took place at a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The leadership change marks a milestone for the youngest branch of the U.

Markets

4iG and SpaceX Sign Europe's First Starlink Direct-to-Cell and Sovereign Defense Pact

Hungarian telecommunications and defense conglomerate 4iG Group signed two agreements with SpaceX on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, establishing what the companies describe as Europe's first partnership to deploy Starlink Mobile direct-to-cell services alongside a dedicated framework for encrypted defense communications. The agreements, executed at SpaceX facilities

Markets

Army Awards First U.S. Production Contract for a High-Energy Laser Weapon

The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment a contract worth $464.8 million for the Enduring High-Energy Laser program of record, marking what the service calls its first-ever production contract for a high-energy laser weapon. The award will bring AeroVironment's LOCUST X3 counter-drone laser

Markets

Gravitics Wins Lockheed Martin Deal to Build Three Orbital Carriers for Golden Dome

Gravitics has been selected by Lockheed Martin to build three spacecraft for demonstrations of space-based missile defense technologies under the Pentagon's Golden Dome program. The selection, disclosed in regulatory filings, marks one of the first known industrial contracts tied directly to the Golden Dome architecture. The spacecraft,

Markets

Lockheed Martin Ventures Backs Quantum Camera Startup Diffraqtion in Expanded Pre-Seed

Diffraqtion, a Massachusetts startup building quantum imaging cameras for space, announced more than $5 million in additional funding on Monday, more than doubling the pre-seed round it first closed in January. The new investment brings the company's total funding to over $10 million and adds Lockheed Martin

Defense

Pentagon Seeks Software-Only Encryption to Bridge Post-Quantum Transition

The Defense Department is asking industry for interim, software-only cryptographic solutions that require no hardware changes to protect military systems during its shift to post-quantum cryptography. A request for information released Thursday sets operational baselines for vendors and signals the Pentagon is executing on its campaign to prepare

Defense

Space Force Brings Digital Engineering to Its Nuclear Satellite Program

The U.S. Space Force has adopted a new collaborative digital engineering environment for its nuclear command, control, and communications satellite program. The move applies modern development methods to one of the most sensitive parts of the U.S. military satellite architecture. The tool is described as potentially changing how

Markets

Pentagon Awards SpaceX Fleet Contract to Put Starshield on Military Aircraft

The Space Force has awarded SpaceX a fleet-level service contract to expand use of its Starshield satellite network aboard military aircraft, extending the government-focused system beyond ground terminals and into airborne platforms. The award, posted August 25 by the Space Force's Commercial Space Office, covers satellite

Defense

Army Names Five Vendors and Bases for Janus Nuclear Microreactor Program

The Army on Wednesday selected five companies to build and operate nuclear microreactors at five installations under its Janus program, committing about $2.2 billion across fiscal years 2027 through 2031. The move is intended to deliver resilient baseload power to major bases in the event that external power grids

Markets

Polish Startup Ares Shield Lands $6 Million Deal to Defend Orbital Data Centers with Microwave Weapons

Florida-based Lonestar Data Holdings has contracted Polish startup Ares Shield to protect its space-based data centers using high-power microwave technology, in an agreement worth up to $6 million announced August 25. The deal calls for three satellites to be protected initially, with additional modules to follow as

Markets

Ursa Major to Enter Public Markets in $2.3 Billion Deal

Rocket propulsion and hypersonics startup Ursa Major announced it will go public in a transaction valuing the company at $2.3 billion. Chief Executive Chris Spagnoletti framed the deal as the step that turns the company's current base into the production capacity its customers are asking for. The