A U.S. soldier sets up an antenna in order to transmit a situational report to his higher command during a patrol with Turkish military forces along the demarcation line outside Manbij, Syria, in July. Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster

Future military satcom system puts cybersecurity first

by —

Electronic threats against satellite communication have rapidly escalated in the last few years and will continue to advance in the foreseeable future.

From the Magazine AEHFcybersecuritymilitary satellites
For the Chinese military, space is not about space at all. It is about information — how to ensure the [People’s Liberation Army] gets it, as well as how to ensure that an adversary does not. Credit: Kremlin.Ru photo

Op-ed | Space Force: premature or overdue?

by —

What both the Russian and Chinese space forces reflect is a shifting view of the nature of future conflict, and the place space has within that view.

From the Magazine ChinaRussiaSpace Force
The Spacety team. Credit: Spacety

Microsatellite maker Spacety looks to fill the gaps in the new Chinese market

by —

Spacety is one of China’s first commercial and private satellite companies in China, established in January 2016, following new government policies introduced in 2014 and 2015 to deregulate the nation’s space sector.

From the Magazine ChinaSpacety
“No one has a higher vested interest in keeping their orbits clean than large constellations.” Ted Muelhaupt, The Aerospace Corporation. Credit: iStock illustration

Will megaconstellations cause a dangerous spike in orbital debris?

by —

It’s no secret the megaconstellations will have a dramatic impact on space traffic. Experts now are turning their attention to ensuring they don’t also create a dangerous spike in orbital debris.

From the Magazine Megaconstellationsspace debris
Burloak Technologies purchased the EBAM 110, one of the world's largest additive manufacturing systems, in October. Credit: Sciaky

Additive machines prompt companies to throw out the rule books

by —

Space system engineers, who once saw additive manufacturing as a way to trim the size and weight of conventional components, are beginning to see its true potential.

From the Magazine additive manufacturing
SSL flew its first printed aluminum parts in September with the launch of Telesat’s Telstar 18 Vantage communications satellite. Credit: SSL

SSL additively expands additive manufacturing from brackets to antenna towers

by —

With four more of its satellites launched between July 22 and Sept. 25, Space Systems Loral now has more than 1,000 additively manufactured parts in orbit on 15 spacecraft.

From the Magazine additive manufacturingSSL
The Juno spacecraft NASA launched to Jupiter in 2011 carried Lockheed Martin's first spaceflown printed spacecraft component, a small titanium waveguide bracket. Credit: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin extends additive manufacturing to key spacecraft components

by —

Lockheed Martin’s Additive Design and Manufacturing Center in Sunnyvale, California, where the company produces military, commercial and civil space technology, attained a comprehensive safety certification.

From the Magazine additive manufacturingLockheed Martin
Bridenstine and Zhang

Foust Forward | The challenges to Chinese space cooperation

by —

Before we celebrate a new era in U.S.-China space cooperation, though, there are obstacles to overcome on both sides of the Pacific.

From the Magazine ChinaNASA
NASA illustration of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. Credit: NASA

Op-ed | Reuse and sustainability in deep space exploration

by —

Recent SpaceX and Blue Origin booster landings have reignited hopes that reusability can change the economics of space activity simply by switching from expendable to reusable launch vehicles.

From the Magazine NASAReusabilityreusable launch vehicles
NASA was just four years old when John F. Kennedy delivered his landmark Rice University speech in September 1962 directing the agency to land astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade. Credit: Robert Knudsen via JFK Presidential Library and Museum

Op-ed | NASA at 60: The best of our energies and skills

by —

To make the next 50 years of human spaceflight different from the last, government spending should change its focus from federal job creation to that of creating private infrastructure that, while serving government purposes, is also available to other private industries.

From the Magazine NASA
Vice President Mike Pence (left) announced the Pentagon's detailed plan to establish a Space Force as the first new military branch in over 70 years. (DoD via Flickr)

On National Security | Space Force invades the midterms

by —

The Space Force that U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to set up could be a dim prospect if Republicans lose control of either the House or Senate when voters go to the polls Nov. 6 for the midterm elections.

From the Magazine PentagonSpace Force
The former German battleship Ostfriesland was sunk July 21, 1921 off the coast of Virginia by bombs dropped by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell’s airplanes. In 1947, the U.S. Air Force was formally established as a separate branch of the armed forces. Credit: U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia

Op-ed | The legal mandate for a U.S. Space Force

by —

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell is now considered the father of the U.S. Air Force, but the Air Force has forgotten the lessons of Mitchell’s experience when it comes to the new combat domain of space.

From the Magazine Space Force
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine looks inside the test version of the SLS intertank during an Aug. 15 visit to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Op-ed | A bright future for SLS production

by —

This month, as moviegoers flock to theaters to experience Neil Armstrong’s bold journey to the Moon, we witness some of the less theatrically appealing drama of human spaceflight play out here in real life.

From the Magazine BoeingNASASpace Launch System
Clockwise from left: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, ULA's Vulcan Centaur, Northrop Grumman's OmegA and Blue Origin's New Glenn rockets are all in the running to compete for a block of launch contracts the U.S. Air Force intends to divide between two providers during phase 2 of the Launch Service Agreements (LSA) program. Credit: SpaceX / ULA / Northrop Grumman / Blue Origin

Military launch poised for new era as Air Force prepares to move beyond EELV

by —

The U.S. Air Force is moving into the next chapter of military space launch — competitive procurement of launch services from a wider field of commercial vendors with entirely U.S.-made rockets.

From the Magazine Air ForceEELVLaunch Service AgreementUnited Launch Alliance
The current Soyuz at the station, Soyuz MS-09, will hit its 200-day lifetime limit by late December. “There’s a little bit of margin” on that lifetime, a NASA official said, “but not a whole lot of margin.”

The world’s only ride to the International Space Station is grounded. What now?

by —

Nick Hague thought he knew what to expect on his first flight into space — until the unexpected happened.

From the Magazine international space stationSoyuz MS-10
Airbus' high-endurance Zephyr UAVs are designed to complement remote-sensing satellites by providing persistent coverage over a limited geographic area. Credit: Airbus

Airbus leveraging partnerships, investments to deliver greater ground truth

by —

François Lombard, who took the helm at Airbus Intelligence in early 2017, is encouraging this type of innovation and partnerships like the ones formed recently with Earth observation constellation operator Planet and Orbital Insight, a geospatial analytics company.

From the Magazine Airbus IntelligenceAirbus Zephyr

Load More arrow