Satellite manufacturing startup Apex Technology, which specializes in manufacturing standardized small satellite buses, secured a $45.9 million contract from the U.S. Space Forceds to deliver an unspecified number of satellites by 2032.

Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy, military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, wants to double down on stricter accountability for contractors and program managers.

Space Systems Command awarded a $21.81 million deal to Firefly Aerospace for “Victus Sol,” the fifth in a series of experiments designed to make contractors and USSF develop, transport, and launch satellites in record time.

The U.S. Space Force will roll out its International Partnership Strategy soon, laying out a plan to improve the interoperability of space assets and maximize information sharing with allies across classification levels.

National Defense – The DoD’s 2024 Commercial Space Integration Strategy’s priorities: ensure access to commercial space solutions; achieve integration prior to crisis; establish security conditions that promote integration; and support the development of commercial space solutions.

Air and Space Forces Magazine – The successful launch aboard a Japanese H3 rocket is a milestone in the U.S.-Japan alliance. It marks just the third USSF payload to be hosted on a foreign-owned satellite.

SpaceNews – The Air Force named William Blauser as the acting director of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA). Blauser previously oversaw development of the B-21 stealth bomber and the X-37B military space plane.

Breaking Defense – The DoD’s acquisition office requests Air Force to set up an “independent review team” to assess “the current state of health” of all programs comprising SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

Air and Space Forces Magazine – The executive order states that a plan needs to be ready before the budget for FY 2026 is prepared. It also calls for a boost in the Space Development Agency’s “Custody Layer,” a plan to field hundreds of satellites that transfer data and facilitate navigation.

Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for Assured Access to Space at Space Systems Command, said: “We’ve been going up pretty steadily at about a 25 to 30% increase [of launches] per year, and I think we’ll continue to increase at that rate for at least the next couple years.