Lockheed Martin is redesigning its LM 2100 spacecraft bus to enable on-orbit docking and plans to showcase the capability on a future Air Force GPS IIIF mission.
Space Alert
February 12, 2021
The director of the Space Development Agency this week highlighted the organization’s success in achieving a $14.1 million average per-satellite cost for its first tranche of transport space vehicles and said he’s aiming to lower the cost even further as the proliferated architecture grows.
February 3, 2021
As the Air Force Research Laboratory supports Space Force efforts to establish a robust testing enterprise, its top priorities are focused on developing a synthetic test environment, improving hardware-in-the-loop capabilities and ensuring sufficient on-orbit instrumentation exists to test systems in the space environment.
January 28, 2021
The Space Force expects to release a request for proposals for the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability this summer, a new acquisition program aimed at providing persistent coverage of objects in geosynchronous orbit.
January 27, 2021
After playing a key role in advising the Air Force secretary on space policy and management, the office of the assistant Air Force secretary for space acquisition and integration is reorganizing -- establishing three new directorates and a slew of subject matter experts in major capability areas.
January 22, 2021
The Missile Defense Agency has selected Northrop Grumman to join L3Harris Technologies for the next phase of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Senor project, a move that bumps Raytheon and Leidos from a contest to develop a next-generation, orbiting, infrared system to track ultrafast and maneuvering threats from launch to impact.
January 21, 2021
With a five-year plan in place, the Space Force is working with the acquisition community and industry to develop requirements for a future National Space Test and Training Range.
January 20, 2021
The Defense Department estimates the cost of the GPS Operational Control Segment follow-on program at $223 million, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
January 14, 2021
The Missile Defense Agency has selected L3Harris Technologies as a finalist from a pool of four contenders in the contest to develop a Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor.
January 13, 2021
The Pentagon's chief weapons tester says the government needs to spend the next 10 years updating weapons testing processes and infrastructure, paying special attention to space and cyber capabilities.
January 8, 2021
SpaceX and L3Harris have resumed work on the Space Development Agency's Tracking Layer Tranche 0 satellite development contracts after a series of protests put the companies' contracts on hold and led the agency to reevaluate bids.
January 5, 2021
The Space and Missile Systems Center anticipates delays to new Space Enterprise Consortium solicitations as the Space Force continues its review of the incoming consortium manager, the National Security Technology Accelerator, in light of a recent Texas court decision involving the company.
December 28, 2020
The Space Force announced last week it expects to issue a draft request for proposals in early January for two responsive launch missions.
December 23, 2020
The Government Accountability Office this week dismissed Raytheon's most recent protest of a Space Development Agency contract for wide-field-of-view satellites.
December 22, 2020
House and Senate lawmakers have proposed adding $1.3 billion to the Missile Defense Agency's fiscal year 2021 budget request -- a 14% hike that would allocate $10.4 billion for guided-missile interceptors, radars, space-based sensors and more -- while also taking the agency to task for inconsistent budgeting across its modernization portfolio.
December 22, 2020
A new report on the Defense Department's overhead persistent infrared architecture offers insight into the Pentagon's plans for future space-based missile tracking and warning capabilities -- a response to lawmakers' calls for a clear strategy that addresses concerns about duplication and oversight across the enterprise.
December 18, 2020
United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno told reporters this week he expects future Space Force Launch Services Procurement strategies will call for more national security-unique requirements, potentially shifting the investment burden more toward the government and away from industry.
December 16, 2020
After spending most of 2020 defining its structure, leadership and warfighting doctrine, the head of the Space Force said this week the new service's second year will focus more on integration -- with the joint community, industry, international partners and within the broader space acquisition enterprise.
December 10, 2020
Lawmakers have delayed a statutory deadline for on-orbit testing of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023, authorized additional spending and definitively assigned the Missile Defense Agency responsibility for developing the new payload project.
December 10, 2020
The official performing the duties of assistant Air Force secretary for space acquisition and integration said today he expects the Biden administration may nominate someone by this spring to take over the role in a formal capacity.