Aviation Week — Two Chinese-built satellites may be on the verge of conducting an on-orbit, satellite-to-satellite refueling activity for the first time, according to Slingshot Aerospace.
ULA Testing OpenAI’s Government-Compliant Chatbot
SpaceNews — ‘RocketGPT’ is one of the first deployments of government-compliant AI chatbot that’s designed for defense contractors handling sensitive data.
Space Force is Contracting With SpaceX for New, Secretive Milnet Satcom Network
Breaking Defense — The Space Force contracted a new government-owned, contractor-operated satellite communication constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO), called MILNET, that will eventually be integrated into the service’s grand plan for a “hybrid mesh network.”
Trump Officially Nominates Space Force Gen. Guetlein to Lead ‘Golden Dome’
Space News — President Trump officially nominated Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to serve as “direct reporting program manager for Golden Dome for America.”
The Aerospace Corporation Adds Will Hurd to Board of Trustees
WashingtonExec — Aerospace President and CEO Steve Isakowitz said Hurd’s background in technology, national security, and public policy will help the company support its mission in an increasingly contested space domain.
How to Develop Effective Technology Policy When Your Imagination of Future Uses is Limited
Federal News Network — Brian Weeden, Systems Director at Aerospace’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy, discusses how GPS went from a military-exclusive system to one with civilian uses that it wasn’t originally designed for.
Space Force Receives First Two Units of Meadowlands Offensive Satellite Jammer
DefenseScoop — Meadowlands, which L3Harris developed, is a significant upgrade to the Space Force’s current platform — the Counter Communications System (CCS) — with drastically reduced weapon size and integrated automation.
First Next-Gen Missile Warning Satellite Launch Delayed
Aviation Week — The U.S. Government Accountability Office says the Space Force will launch its first new missile warning satellite no earlier than March 2026, months later than previously scheduled, “due to a crowded 2025 launch manifest.”
Debrief: Why Satellites Are Going From Cubes To Flat Panels
Aviation Week — In 2026, the Aerospace Corporation plans to launch four examples of the 1 meter in diameter DiskSat into low Earth orbit. Flat satellites can have many potential advantages, such as filling out the entire diameter of a launch vehicle fairing.
Space-Based Solar Power: A New Frontier in US Energy Security
The Space Review — Karen Jones, a SBSP expert from The Aerospace Corporation, emphasized that the technology’s costs could become competitive with other energy sources as launch costs continue to decrease.