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The U.S. Space Force would get $26 billion in an appropriations bill released Tuesday. The minibus appropriations bill, which includes the Defense Department, would provide $26 billion for the service, matching the administration's request for fiscal year 2026. The bill made several changes to the request, including eliminating $277 million for MILNET, a proposed LEO communications constellation that would have been built by SpaceX. It also restores some funding for Resilient GPS, a program the Space Force recently said it would discontinue. On Golden Dome, defense appropriators said they support the initiative, but faulted the administration for failing to provide sufficient detail on how $23 billion in mandatory funding is being allocated. Counting funding in a budget reconciliation bill passed last July, the Space Force will have nearly $40 billion in 2026, nearly double its funding from five years ago. [SpaceNews]
The United States remains "unacceptably vulnerable" to a dangerous form of escalation by Russia in space, a new report warns. The report, released Wednesday by the Atlantic Council, said that in any conflict it is "highly plausible that Russia would consider nuclear, debris-generating and counter-commercial attacks in space against U.S., allied, or commercial space assets." The report argues that Washington and its allies are underprepared for the risk that Moscow could deliberately escalate a conflict beyond Earth's atmosphere. Western analysts, the report says, often underestimate Russia's willingness to accept risk — and even self-inflicted damage — in pursuit of coercive goals. [SpaceNews]
Starfish Space won a Space Development Agency contract for satellite deorbiting services. The company announced Wednesday it won a $52.5 million contract to deorbit one of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture satellites that is unable to do so itself at the end of its life. The contract includes options for additional satellite deorbiting services, provided by the same Otter spacecraft that Starfish will launch in 2027. The company, which has several other contracts from government and industry for servicing and life extension missions, said the services contract from SDA is a sign that the overall in-space servicing market is maturing beyond research and development. [SpaceNews]
Washington Harbour Partners has acquired Radome Services, a company that supports satellite ground stations. The newly acquired firm is being rebranded as Outpost Mission Services and positioned as a provider of engineering services for critical infrastructure that underpins space operations. The company specializes in installation, inspection, repair and maintenance of radomes as well as related antenna work at ground stations. Washington Harbour has invested in several space companies, primarily software-heavy firms tied to space operations, autonomy and decision-making. [SpaceNews]
NASA is ending support for a set of groups that provide input on planetary science topics. The agency said it would end financial support for eight "AGs," or analysis and assessment groups, on topics ranging from lunar to outer solar system science. The AGs regularly meet to discuss ongoing and future missions, planetary science research and related topics, providing findings to NASA. The agency said recent executive orders and a constrained budget contributed to the decision to stop supporting the AGs, although the groups will be able to continue operations on their own. The decision is part of a broader drawdown of support for advisory committees, including eliminating several science advisory committees last year. Other committees have yet to meet since the start of the current administration. [SpaceNews]
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