US leads world in 2023 launches, sats on orbit: study
SpaceX alone was responsible for 98 of the 109 launch attempts made by the US in 2023, and 1,937 of the 2,234 US satellites successfully orbited.
First European Union space defense strategy calls for better threat response abilities
The European Council's decision document on the new space security and defense strategy also cites the need for the EU to maintain the "technical sovereignty" of its space industrial base and supply chain.
US-Australia space launch accord likely on agenda at Biden-Albanese meeting
"We need launch capabilities in the Southern Hemisphere," said Deanna Ryals, director of international affairs at the Space Force's Space Systems Command, recently.
AFRL taps Ursa Major for hypersonic, space launch engines
Responsive launch is enabled by the fact that Draper's hydrogen peroxide fuel is easily storable, Ursa Major CEO Joe Laurienti told Breaking Defense, which cuts down prelaunch logistics — whereas other highly toxic liquid fuels often used to provide the high thrust needed for a missile to reach hypersonic speeds (Mach 5 and above) require special handling.
White House taps DoD, State to ensure US access to low Earth orbit
"As the United States leads the world in the exploration of the Moon and Mars, maintaining U.S. preeminence in space research is important as the use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) grows and the development of space enters a new era," states the new national strategy for LEO R&D.
Space Force plans to open access for small providers to multibillion launch contracts
"We developed an acquisition strategy consisting of a dual-lane approach that provides access to diverse commercially available systems," said Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Space Force's acquisition lead for space launch.
China tops US in defense-related satellites orbited in 2022: Report
"China is replacing Russia as the No. 2 space power," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., told Breaking Defense.