Today's highlights:

SpaceWERX bets big on startups

SpaceWERX, the Space Force's little-known tech incubator based in Los Angeles, is doling out about $460 million annually in R&D contracts to startups and small businesses.

"We are not just building widgets or just doing studies. We're actually trying to build end-to-end capabilities," Arthur Grijalva, SpaceWERX director, tells SpaceNews.

SpaceWERX operates with a team of about 50 people under the Space Systems Command's Commercial Space Office. It's part of AFWERX, which allocates roughly $1.4 billion yearly in SBIR/STTR contracts.
Projects are targeting key "mission areas" for modernization, including in-orbit surveillance, space-based data comms, on-orbit logistics, and advanced satellite maneuvering.
Strategic Financing Initiative (STRATFI) agreements are being used to push promising tech past the "valley of death." These deals bring in additional government funding from potential customer agencies.

Looking ahead

SpaceWERX aims to improve "demand signal" communication to industry and private investors.
Grijalva remains optimistic: "These investments will pay off and make a tangible impact. Our goal is to harness American innovation and channel it into Space Force programs."

Illustration of the Sentinel missile. Credit: Northrop Grumman

Pentagon greenlights $140B Sentinel ICBM program despite cost overruns

DoD announced on Monday it has decided to proceed with the $140 billion intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Sentinel program, despite significant cost growth and schedule setbacks.

The Sentinel program aims to replace the aging Minuteman III ICBMs, which form the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.
The program is now expected to be delayed by several years, with initial operational capability likely pushed to the early 2030s.
The projected total program cost over the next decade jumped from $96 billion to approximately $120 billion, before the latest revision to $140 billion.
Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions William LaPlante led a comprehensive review triggered by a critical Nunn-McCurdy breach earlier this year. The breach occurred when program costs exceeded baseline projections by more than 25 percent.
"We are fully aware of the costs, but we are also aware of the risks of not modernizing our nuclear forces," said LaPlante.

Space traffic system a 'pretty tough program'

The Office of Space Commerce is gearing up for a crucial beta test of its long-awaited Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) this October.

TraCSS is meant to shift space traffic coordination from DoD to Commerce, a move mandated by a 2018 presidential directive.

"This is a pretty tough program," said Janice Starzyk, deputy director of the Commerce Department's Office of Space Commerce.

The initial version of TraCSS will rely on DoD data
It is still unclear how commercial data will be integrated
Primary ops center in Boulder, CO, expected to be running by year-end
$158 million in funding over 2023 and 2024

The beta test in October will be a moment of truth. Can a civilian agency successfully run a space traffic coordination system? The future of safe space operations hangs in the balance.

Check out the SpaceNews Leading Women in Space series. Correspondent Debra Werner speaks with U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, who serves as program executive officer for Assured Access to Space, director of launch and range operations for Space Systems Command, commander of Space Launch Delta 45, and director of the Eastern Range.

In other news 🚀

A Russian satellite likely suffered a "low-intensity explosion" that created hundreds of pieces of debris in low Earth orbit, according to one company's analysis.

Both U.S. Space Command and private space situational awareness providers reported that Resurs P1, a defunct Russian remote sensing satellite, suffered a breakup event on June 26. That event created more than 100 pieces of debris that could be tracked by ground-based sensors.

Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei on July 10 will assume command of the

Air Force Research Laboratory at a change of command ceremony at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Bartolomei will replace Maj. Gen. Scott Cain, who has led the lab since June 2023. Cain is taking over the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Bartolomei will lead a workforce of more than 12,500 airmen, guardians, civilians and contractors, and manage an annual budget of $9.5 billion in air and space programs.

The U.S. Space Force has added Blue Origin and Stoke Space Technologies to its roster of launch providers eligible to compete for short-turnaround small-satellite missions under the Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4) contract.

OSP-4, an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, was established by the Air Force in 2019 to leverage emerging commercial launch capabilities. IDIQ contracts allow for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period, with the government placing orders as needs arise.

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