The Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) framework envisions a voluntary partnership, where the Space Force can tap into commercial space capabilities on demand during a crisis, with prenegotiated prices for boosting those capabilities.
NASA adds Starship to Launch Contract
NASA added Starship to its NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract. It will primarily be used for the Human Landing System (HLS) program. SpaceX will develop a lunar lander version of Starship that will be used for the Artemis 3 and 4 crewed landings later this decade.
Space Force Writing New Framework to Outline ‘Space Warfighting’ Concepts, Definitions
The Space Force is creating a document that will clarify its approach and terminology related to offensive and defensive space activities. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said it will also categorize adversary on-orbit capabilities, link structures, ground facilities, and network targets.
Space Force Certifies Vulcan for National Security Launches
United Launch Alliance joins SpaceX in being certified to carry out launches under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, after Space Force’s Space Systems Command certified ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Intuitive Machines Emphasizes Diversification Beyond Lunar Landers
After two hard landings on the moon, Intuitive Machines is outlining a more diversified future for the company, with a greater emphasis on data services and other activities beyond lunar landings.
Booz Allen Unveils ‘Brilliant Swarms’ Satellite Concept for Missile Defense
The proposed architecture would include 1,000 to 2,000 satellites arranged in 20 orbital planes. Each satellite would weigh between 40-80 kg, allowing 100 to be launched simultaneously on a large rocket. Executives emphasized that Brilliant Swarms would complement ongoing Pentagon programs led by the Space Development Agency and Missile Defense Agency.
Space ISAC Giving Access to New Testbeds and Proving Grounds Network for Members
On a recent podcast, Aerospace’s Lori Gordon discusses how the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) is providing access to Accelerating Space Capabilities 100—an international federated network of Testbeds and Proving Grounds that simulate space operating conditions.
Space Ops: The US Space Force’s View on Dynamic Space Operations
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said the Space Force needs the ability to “maneuver without regret” on orbit. SPACECOM Commander Stephen Whiting highlighted “on-orbit refueling, in-space assembly, modular hardware upgrades and urgent orbital resupply” as key investment areas.
Space Force to Launch 100+ Sats in 2025
The Space Force is expecting to launch at least 100 satellites in 2025—nearly doubling its number of unclassified operational spacecraft—according to Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, the deputy chief of space operations for intelligence.
US Space Force Warns of Chinese Satellite ‘Dogfights’ in Space
In a 2020 paper, Aerospace’s Dr. Rebecca Reesman and James R. Wilson wrote that satellites move are limited in how much they can change their orbits to intercept other satellites. But Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, recently said that five objects recently maneuvered “in and out and around each other in synchrony and in control.”