| 12/17/2024 | | National security insights for space professionals. Delivered Tuesdays. | | View in Browser | | | | |
Welcome to this week's edition of SpaceNews Military, your concise source for the latest developments at the intersection of space and national security. In this issue, we cover:
- The Space Force at five - SDA seeks integrator for LEO constellation - Streamlined review process for SpaceX natsec launches
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A programming note: We'll be taking a break from the newsletter over the holiday season, returning Jan. 7. Thank you for being part of our community and we look forward to sharing more SpaceNews content in the new year. | | | | | The Space Force at Five
The U.S. Space Force, once derided as a pet project of President Donald Trump, has evolved into a crucial component of national security in just five years. Initially met with skepticism and even mockery, the Space Force has become a fully-fledged military branch with nearly 15,000 personnel.
As the service celebrates its fifth anniversary. "I'm extremely proud of where we are and what we've accomplished," Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said last week at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Saltzman reflected on the service's achievements and challenges ahead: -
China is rapidly expanding its military presence in space. Saltzman warned this could let China disrupt U.S. forces before they even reach conflict zones. -
Russia remains a major threat with what Saltzman calls an "eye-watering" arsenal of space weapons, including anti-satellite systems and advanced electronic warfare capabilities. -
The Space Force's budget has doubled since its 2019 creation, but Saltzman says it's still "well short" of what's needed to counter these threats. The service currently oversees about 15,000 personnel. -
He said the Space Force is pushing to transform from a support element into a full-fledged military service. It's expanding globally, having just activated its sixth service component in Japan last week. The bottom line: "There should be no doubt in your mind that China can and will use their space capability to hold the joint and combined force at risk," Saltzman added. "It's our job to make sure that doesn't happen."
|  | | | | SpaceX launches U.S. Space Force 'Rapid Response Trailblazer' GPS mission
SpaceX on Monday night launched a GPS III satellite for the Space Force in record time. The secretive mission was intended to demonstrate the United States can rush critical space assets to orbit in months instead of years. We have exclusive details here about how this mission was planned.
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Space Force streamlines launch reviews for SpaceX
The U.S. Space Force developed a plan to help SpaceX accelerate its launch tempo. The new initiative, known as "One Team Falcon," is designed to streamline oversight while maintaining rigorous safety and technical standards, said Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, the Space Force's program executive officer for Assured Access to Space.
"Mission assurance" refers to a robust framework of reviews and technical assessments conducted to ensure the readiness of rockets and payloads, a process designed to protect costly and often irreplaceable national security satellites. Even SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which has a strong track record, is subject to these reviews. -
Speaking last week at the Spacepower Conference, Panzenhagen emphasized the balance the military is seeking between maintaining safety and avoiding unnecessary delays to commercial launch operations. "What you're going to see in 2025 for mission assurance is a more efficient way of doing business," she said. -
The "One Team Falcon" approach is aimed at increasing coordination across the Space Force's launch and mission assurance teams. The initiative involves integrating the efforts of teams based at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, along with mission assurance personnel stationed in Los Angeles. -
"They have all cross-trained roles and responsibilities," Panzenhagen said. "So now we can surge on either coast when we have Falcon missions."
| | | | | | | Space Development Agency seeks integrator for military satellite network
The Space Development Agency (SDA) on Friday published a solicitation for a contractor to integrate a constellation of military satellites made by different vendors.
The agency is seeking proposals for its Tranche 3 Program Integration effort, which will coordinate hundreds of satellites being built by various manufacturers as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a constellation designed to provide missile tracking, communications, and navigation capabilities to U.S. military forces.
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This isn't just about monitoring satellites – it's about creating a seamless architecture that can function as a unified system, said SDA's director Derek Tournear. He said the integrator will need to ensure that satellites from different manufacturers can work together effectively. -
The selected contractor will be responsible for systems engineering, for coordinating ground systems and ensuring interoperability across the entire network.
| | | | | L3Harris is scaling up satellite manufacturing and is moving to automate the production of infrared sensor payloads.
The company has secured orders for 38 satellites from the Space Development Agency (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) program, and expects demand to grow. As a result, L3Harris says it is modernizing its production facilities and moving away from the traditionally bespoke, low-volume production.
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Maxar Intelligence has struck a strategic partnership with another Earth observation firm, Satellogic — a move aimed at bolstering geospatial intelligence capabilities for national security agencies.
The exclusive agreement allows Maxar to task, collect and distribute imagery from Satellogic's constellation. Maxar is expanding its "virtual constellation" concept, a network that integrates multiple satellite and ground segment systems from various partners.
| | |  | | Lockheed Martin announced plans to launch its Tactical Satellite (TacSat) aboard Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket in 2025. The mission, funded internally by Lockheed Martin, aims to showcase cutting-edge technologies targeting the defense market.
TacSat is built on a Terran Orbital Zuma bus — a platform Lockheed Martin also employs for the Space Development Agency's military network. The satellite will carry an infrared imaging sensor and a 5G communications payload, both designed to address the Pentagon's demand for "all-domain networks."
| | | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? | | Don't forget to sign up for our next webinar! |  | | Join us December 18 for a dynamic webinar that explores the critical intersection of commercial space innovation and defense sector transformation. | | | | |
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