U.S. Air Force
On National Security | Private money accelerating overdue innovation in military space
Private space pursuits are captivating the public’s attention, creating excitement and fueling investments and innovation across the entire industry.
Orbion wins contract to demonstrate high-thrust propulsion
Orbion Space Technology announced a U.S. Air Force contract to develop and demonstrate high-thrust propulsion to help small satellites quickly dodge satellites or space debris.
Kendall reorganizes Space Force acquisition office, wants faster merger with Space Development Agency
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall announced Aug. 24 he is reorganizing the office that oversees Space Force acquisition programs.
Umbra and Hypergiant among firms selected for Air Force JADC2 contract
The U.S. Air Force awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts to 29 companies including Umbra, Kymeta, Hughes Network Systems and Hypergiant Galactic Systems to support the Defense Department’s campaign to ensure sensors from all the services feed data into a common network.
A little love from the Air Force can put a space business on the map
The Pentagon’s renewed focus on space and the standup of the U.S. Space Force are boosting demand for technologies being developed by commercial companies. The Air Force technology accelerator known as AFWERX is responding by creating new opportunities for space entrepreneurs.
Air Force Academy to produce more officers for Space Force
As many as 116 graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy this year will join the U.S. Space Force.
Orbital Sidekick wins $16 million U.S. Air Force contract
Orbital Sidekick is speeding up its campaign to build and launch a constellation of six hyperspectral imaging satellites thanks to a $16 million U.S. government contract announced Oct. 15.
Brandywine Photonics conducts design study of constellation of hundreds of small weather satellites
Brandywine Photonics is conducting a design study for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of a constellation of hundreds of small weather satellites.
Weather models improve with COSMIC-2 and Spire Global data
The U.S. Air Force and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts noted significant improvements in numerical weather prediction models with the recent addition of global navigation satellite system radio occultation datasets.
Government’s role in the small launch market not quite black and white
The U.S. government, particularly the Defense Department, will play a decisive role in selecting which small launch providers stay in business.
ExoTerra quadruples production capacity to meet government, commercial demand
ExoTerra Resources, a Colorado firm focused on propulsion and in-situ resource utilization, is preparing to quadruple production capacity to meet government and commercial demand.
Xplore wins NOAA contract to study commercial solar observatory
Xplore Inc. won a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contract for a design study of a commercial solar observatory at Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 1.
Air Force turns to partners for weather forecasting support
The U.S. Air Force is turning increasingly to U.S. government, commercial industry, academia and international partners for help gathering and making sense of terrestrial and space weather data.
Rocket Lab inaugurates U.S. launch site
The U.S. Air Force will be the first customer for a Rocket Lab Electron launching in 2020 from a new launch site in Virginia, the company announced Dec. 12.
On National Security | Government taking steps to better support commercial space industry
Live pitch events are one of several avenues the Air Force is pursuing to attract U.S.-owned startups and commercial businesses that are breaking new ground in space technology.
Capella wins Air Force small business contract
Capella Space won a U.S. Air Force contract to adapt its commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for military applications.
Air Force leaders seek to “flip the switch” on innovation
Over two days, the U.S. Air Force awarded $22.5 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding to 30 companies attending the first Air Force Space Pitch Day in San Francisco.
Air Force awards $9 million on first Space Pitch Day San Francisco
U.S. Air Force leaders emphasized their commitment to quick acquisition of innovative commercial technologies by awarding a total of $9 million to 12 companies on the first Air Force Space Pitch Day here Nov. 5.
On National Security | New blood wants a real chance to challenge DoD’s big space primes
Big-money satellite procurements remain firmly in the clutch of the big primes. Nowhere is this more apparent than in missile defense satellite programs.
NOAA weather satellite transferred to U.S. Air Force
A retired NOAA geostationary weather satellite is being handed over to the U.S. Air Force to fill in a gap in the service’s forecasting requirements.
