Space Alert

The Defense Department does not -- as this time -- require a program to develop space-based ballistic missile interceptors to shoot down enemy long-range rockets during the boost phase of ascent, according to the top U.S. military commander for missile defense and space operations.

The Air Force this week awarded contracts worth more than $640 million to SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance for five future national security space missions.

A new small launch procurement line in the Air Force's fiscal year 2019 budget request may indicate the service is positioning itself to respond to anticipated growth in the small satellite market.

The Air Force's Space Rapid Capabilities Office received a nearly $300 million increase in the service's fiscal year 2019 budget request, but, as one analyst pointed out this week, it's unclear whether that funding will be sustained in the coming years.

The Air Force's recent budget submission confirms that its highly secretive Silentbarker surveillance satellite is part of its strategy to replace the legacy Space-Based Space Surveillance constellation, providing new details on a little-known space situational awareness program.

As the Space and Missile Systems Center works to establish a more enterprise-focused approach to operational command and control, a Space Defense Task Force is working to incorporate new software development and delivery concepts and to ensure that those deliveries are cybersecure.

The Air Force released a combined request for proposals this week for five Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle missions that will be awarded later this year.

The White House Office of Management and Budget told Congress in a recent report that significant changes to space organization within the Defense Department, including the option to create a separate 'Space Force,' are "not only prudent, but also necessary" -- an apparent departure from DOD's stance on space organizational reform.

As momentum picks up on efforts to modernize the GPS enterprise, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin are working to mitigate demand for a key testing resource.