Space Force to be the topic of next National Space Council meeting

The status of proposals to create a separate branch of the U.S. military devoted to space will be the subject of the next meeting of the National Space Council on Oct. 23.

Op-ed | A space-based survey, not luck, must be our plan against hazardous asteroids

Luck is not a plan. Yet up to now Congressional appropriators and senior NASA officials are mostly relying on luck to keep us safe from catastrophic fatalities resulting from the surprise impact of an unseen asteroid.

Is Space Sensor Layer the Pentagon’s next major space program?

Defense officials have been sounding alarms about what they describe as a glaring national security vulnerability — a new class of ultrafast weapons being developed by China and Russia that would overpower U.S. missile defenses.

Senate confirms Morhard as NASA deputy administrator

The Senate confirmed James Morhard to be NASA’s deputy administrator late Oct. 11.

Deputy Defense Secretary Shanahan hints at future shifts in space investments

In a keynote speech at AUSA, Shanahan called on the Army to change how it buys technology for its future force, especially in newer areas of warfare like cyber and space.

GMV wins 250 million euro ground control contract for Europe’s Galileo navigation system

The company’s contract with the European Space Agency, signed in September, marks the biggest deal for GMV and the biggest for Spain's space industry.

Army Secretary: Still unclear what portions of the Army would move to the Space Force

Esper: “Army is a big user of space. We’re heavily reliant on it.”

Intelsat: losing 200 or more megahertz of C-band will require new satellites

Intelsat says some satellite operators will be forced to buy new spacecraft if U.S. telecom regulators demand the transfer of 200 or more megahertz of C-band spectrum from satellite operators to cellular companies.

Top Pentagon official Mike Griffin proposes new space agency that ‘disrupts’ traditional procurement

Griffin is proposing a D.C.-based Space Development Agency that would report to him initially, but eventually would shift to the control of a new assistant secretary of defense for space.

Airbus CEO calls for reforms to European space governance

The chief executive of Airbus used an international space conference to call for reforms in how Europe manages and funds space activities in order to better compete on the global market.

Pentagon denies report that Air Force Secretary Wilson may be on her way out

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department on Friday dismissed a news report that says President Trump is considering removing Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

“This is nonsense,” Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana White said in a statement…

US State Department clarifies satellite thruster regulations

The U.S. State Department has revised an export control rule to clarify that spacecraft and their thrusters should not be classified as rocket engines, as some companies have been doing.

Senate Armed Services Committee still not sold on a separate military service for space

Sen. Joni Ernst said it remains a wide open question whether a Space Force should be a “separate stand-alone force or if it can be better maximized as part of the existing Air Force.”

White House report: Defense industry faces ‘unprecedented challenges,’ China’s ‘economic aggression’ a threat to national security

DoD business practices, market trends, globalization and manufacturing costs make “future access to space qualified domestic industrial sources uncertain.”

NASA plays down Soyuz investigation controversy

NASA continues to downplay any concerns about the status of current or future Soyuz missions even as rumors continue in Russian media about the cause of a hole in the Soyuz docked to the station.

Australia’s new space agency plans commercial focus

A year after the Australian government announced plans to establish a national space agency, that office is now in operation with plans to help support the country’s emerging space industry.