10/20/2026

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By Sandra Erwin

Welcome to SpaceNews' Military Space, your source for the latest developments at the intersection of space and national security. In this week's edition: a Russian satellite stalks commercial spacecraft and combat demands drive Space Force expansion plans. Plus, SpaceX moves deeper into the Pentagon’s space architecture.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Rocket Lab’s headquarters in Long Beach Oct. 15 to highlight California's growing space and aerospace manufacturing. The facility is central to Rocket Lab’s expanding operations, including work on the company’s Neutron launch vehicle, which the company hoped to fly in 2026 but now expects to debut next year. Credit: @CAgovernor

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Artificial intelligence is changing how intelligence organizations collect, process and exploit satellite imagery. As the volume of Earth observation data grows, AI is becoming essential for identifying patterns, detecting anomalies and delivering intelligence at operational speed. Join SpaceNews and Vantor on Thursday, Oct. 29 for a conversation that will explore how machine learning is transforming the GEOINT mission across defense, intelligence and commercial markets. Register now.

Iran war tests Space Force's Middle East command

The Space Force component supporting U.S. military operations in the Middle East could grow fivefold over the next several years as the war with Iran exposes the demands of sustaining combat operations with limited personnel.

Brig. Gen. Todd Benson, commander of U.S. Space Forces-Central, said during an Oct. 19 Mitchell Institute forum that his organization needs more intelligence specialists, cyber operators and military planners.

"I would expect we'd be about fivefold the size we are today, which is not a large number," Benson said.

Established in 2022 with 28 personnel, Space Forces-Central grew to more than 60 by early 2025. Benson did not disclose its current strength.

Benson offered a revealing example of the staffing challenge. The Space Force initially had just two personnel, a captain and a technical sergeant, participating in CENTCOM's military targeting process, an effort involving more than 1,000 people across the joint force.

Space at the planning table

Benson said he speaks with CENTCOM commander Adm. Bradley Cooper multiple times each day, and space operations are now considered from the outset of military planning rather than added later.

"A lot of operations won't go if they don't have the space capabilities to back it up," Benson said.

Due to the operational tempo, Benson said, most of his team went 100 days without a day off during the conflict.

He described guardians serving in austere environments, wearing body armor and coming under enemy fire, underscoring how different their assignments can be from the familiar image of satellite operators working at consoles in the United States.

Benson wants Space Forces-Central to develop a larger, more permanent headquarters structure over roughly three years. His projected fivefold expansion comes as the Space Force pursues a broader effort to more than double its uniformed and civilian workforce.

Russian military satellite came within 500 meters of Iceye spacecraft

A Russian military satellite maneuvered to within roughly 500 meters of a commercial imaging spacecraft before moving away, according to a new report from U.S. space-tracking company LeoLabs. The unusual orbital encounter has raised concerns about the vulnerability of commercial satellites.

What happened: Russia's Cosmos 2612 spent several days maneuvering around Iceye X36, a U.S.-registered radar-imaging satellite operated by Finland-based Iceye. LeoLabs said the Russian spacecraft moved ahead of and behind X36, made repeated adjustments to remain nearby and then began pulling away. The company said Monday that the close-proximity operation had ended.

Not just a flyby: LeoLabs described the encounter as a deliberate rendezvous and proximity operation, rather than a routine orbital crossing. Its tracking placed the spacecraft within two to three kilometers on Oct. 16 and less than one kilometer at points over the following days.

What it could mean: Iceye operates a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites capable of collecting imagery at night and through cloud cover. The company has agreements to provide imagery to Ukraine's military.

The encounter underscores the growing exposure of commercial space infrastructure to military activity. The Russian spacecraft's maneuvers demonstrated capabilities that could be used to inspect, shadow or potentially interfere with another satellite, LeoLabs said, while stressing that the operation did not establish hostile intent.

Researchers at the ISR University had previously documented fuel-intensive maneuvers by Cosmos 2612 and related Russian satellites that brought their orbital planes close to those of Iceye spacecraft. Independent satellite tracker Marco Langbroek also estimated that the Russian spacecraft may have passed within a few hundred meters of X36.

Cosmos 2612's ability to maneuver around a commercial satellite highlights a difficult question for Western governments on how to respond when a military spacecraft approaches a privately operated satellite that may support national security missions.

SpaceX’s Pentagon business more than triples

SpaceX recorded $5.9 billion in reported Pentagon contract obligations during the first three quarters of fiscal 2026, more than triple the $1.8 billion recorded during all of fiscal 2025, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis published Monday.

SpaceX’s national security business has expanded as the company moves beyond its longstanding role as a military launch provider and becomes a prime contractor for some of the Space Force’s newest satellite architectures.

Much of the growth is being driven by programs tied to the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative, Bloomberg Government found. SpaceX in May received a $4.16 billion Space Force agreement for the initial Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator constellation, which is intended to track aircraft and other airborne targets from orbit. Days earlier, it won a $2.29 billion agreement to build the Space Data Network Backbone, a proliferated low-Earth-orbit communications layer designed to move data among military sensors and users worldwide.

The $5.9 billion is funding the government has legally committed to awards, Bloomberg noted. The total encompasses SpaceX’s broader Pentagon portfolio, including launch and satellite communications.

SpaceX’s own financial reporting does not provide a stand-alone figure for its defense business. Government connectivity revenue is combined with aviation, maritime and other enterprise sales, while government launch and spacecraft-development work is reported separately in the company’s space segment.

Questions on vendor concentration

Space Force officials have stressed that neither architecture is intended to remain a SpaceX-only system. For now, however, the procurement numbers show how large SpaceX’s head start has become.

Bloomberg Government found that about 43 percent of SpaceX’s federal contracting dollars from fiscal 2023 through 2025 came from the Defense Department. The latest data suggest the Pentagon side of the business is accelerating rapidly as the military pours money into proliferated sensing, targeting and communications constellations.

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Gen. Michael Guetlein at the 2026 Icon Awards: The direct reporting program manager for Golden Dome for America joins us on Dec. 1 in Washington, D.C. to deliver a keynote address during our awards program. See the list of finalists and secure your spot as we gather to announce our 2026 winners, recognizing leaders and accomplishments that exemplified excellence across the industry during the last 12 months. Register today – early bird pricing ends Oct. 31.

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