"We are clearly moving away from airborne ISR assets and moving into space. It's the absolute right thing to do from a resiliency and sustainability perspective," Air Force space acquisition czar Frank Calvelli said.
"This is not only new; it's astounding. It's shocking. It's a huge change (if adopted)," one industry contractor told Breaking Defense of the proposal.
In this op-ed, Maj. Aaron Brynildson argues the need for a judge advocate unit for the Space Force.
In this op-ed, Masao Dahlgren discusses the launch of a forthcoming missile-tracking satellite constellation and what can be learned from it.
Under the "reoptimizing" effort, changes are coming across the Department of the Air Force, from new training approaches to the establishment of high-level offices.
While GEOST has made infrared sensors for classified systems in the ones and twos, the new contract will involve building infrared sensors designed to be used in a larger constellation, LightRidge CEO Bill Gattle told Breaking Defense.
Lars Hoffman, Blue Origin's vice president of national security sales, said that a viable commercial market for space mobility and logistics "doesn't exist right now."
"People need to have a realistic expectation of the demand signal," said Col. Joyce Bulson, who heads Space Systems Command's servicing, mobility and logistics program, stressing that the service is "looking to leverage commercial services to the maximum extent possible, so we're not looking for a significant government investment in bringing these capabilities to bear."
"We can't expect to bridge the valley of death through S&T programs, and industry accelerator programs. ... We need to identify and prioritize resources, funding and personnel," said Diane Howard, National Space Council head of commercial space policy.
On Jan. 25, DoD announced that Lockheed Martin and Boeing have each won 15-month contracts worth $66 million to develop a new, more modern satellite design, with the service then deciding on which to use in building the two new MUOS birds.
A new "white paper" from Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, obtained by Breaking Defense, stresses the foundational role of timely space domain awareness in ensuring that Space Force commanders are not caught flat-footed by adversaries.
The Mitchell Institute is advocating that from now on Congress bolster the Space Force's budget by "about $250M a year" and "increase end strength by approximately 200 personnel for the new responsibilities associated with emerging national interests on the moon and the cislunar region."
As well as leveraging space systems for its own operations, the Army intends to invest in capabilities to counter enemy space systems, the new vision document explains.
ULA's Vulcan Centaur needs one more successful flight test to be certified to carry payloads to orbit under the Space Force's National Security Space Launch program.
The Space Force's 75th ISR Squadron is looking at not just how to take out enemy satellites on orbit, but also the other dimensions of space systems including ground facilities and the command and control data links in between, explained Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt.