The National Law Review — Orbotic Systems plans to use Aerospace’s DiskSat form factor as a host spacecraft for a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) sensor pathfinder, including integration studies for its WIND (Wind Ion Neutral Density) sensor. The effort is intended to support technical assessment and future mission planning related to VLEO operations.
Air Force, Space Force announce acquisition changes amid Hegseth’s reform push
DefenseScoop — The Department of the Air Force has established seven new portfolio acquisition executive (PAE) offices that will oversee capability development moving forward.
NASA continues to work toward February launch of Artemis 2
SpaceNews — NASA says it is continuing to prepare for a possible Artemis 2 launch as soon as February, but with remarkably little publicity by the agency for the first crewed flight to the moon in more than 50 years.
Space Force looks to expand West Coast heavy launch capabilities
DefenseNews — Space Launch Delta 30 issued a request for information, seeking to establish infrastructure for heavy and super-heavy vertical launch vehicles to address critical gaps in launch capabilities at Vandenberg. If developed, SLC-14 would become the first dedicated super-heavy launch complex on the West Coast.
Aerospace Names Former Northrop Grumman Executive Blake Bullock as EVP
GovCon Wire — As executive vice president, Bullock will lead Aerospace’s customer-facing organizations, research and laboratory capabilities, engineering backplane, and technology investment activities.
ULA Eyes Vulcan’s Second Space Force Launch Amid Major Leadership Change
Air and Space Forces Magazine — United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket is slated to fly its second national security mission in February—nearly six months after its first operational launch and almost a year after it was certified to launch military payloads for the Space Force.
Artemis II: NASA Astronauts Gear Up for a Journey Around the Moon
CNN — Artemis II will send a group of four astronauts — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen — on a trip around the moon, possibly as early as February.
Space Force Begins Base Network Overhaul as Cybersecurity Demands Grow
SpaceNews — The overhaul aims to provide resilient, high-throughput connectivity across all 14 U.S. Space Force bases. “This modernization effort will upgrade both classified and unclassified network infrastructure,” the Air Force said, including the use of zero trust security architectures and support for cloud-based applications.
GPS is vulnerable to jamming—here’s how we might fix it
Ars Technica — “Sooner or later, we’re gonna see bad things happening here,” said Aerospace’s John Langer. The U.S. Space Force’s SpaceWerx organization, the FAA, and the Defense Innovation Unit are running challenges to support alternative technologies.
Space Force Tackles Near-Term Training Needs with an Eye Toward a High-Fidelity Range
Air and Space Forces Magazine — Space Systems Command has been working with CFC and Space Training and Readiness Command to expand its cyber digital operational environment. The U.S. Spacer Force is also getting closer to building a physical range, the National Space Test and Training Complex.
