Aviation Week — NROL-174 was deployed with a Minotaur IV rocket, which marks the first time in nearly 15 years that a rocket in this configuration supported an NRO payload from Vandenberg. It was originally built as a Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and then modified for launch.

Under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 procurement strategy, the Space Force adopted a tiered approach to mission assurance. This shift creates opportunities for companies with medium-lift rockets that don’t qualify for more restrictive Lane 2, but can still meet the needs of lower-mass NSSL missions.

Defense One — New Pentagon priorities are forcing the Space Force to find ways to cut 8 percent from its budget. However, the service will play a crucial role in the development of the Trump administration’s next-gen missile shield effort, Golden Dome, which will rely on the service’s sensors in space to detect and track hypersonic and ballistic missiles.

In its first-ever Space Warfighting framework, Space Force outlines the activities and considerations to fight in space to achieve superiority in the domain, including orbital strike, space link interdiction, and terrestrial strike.

The Satellite Applications Catapult and Aerospace UK initiated discussions for collaboration and the linking of their two robotics facilities, with the hope of providing faster validation and verification of emerging in-space servicing capabilities.

Jim Myers, Senior Vice President of the Civil Systems Group, discussed the shift in cybersecurity threats and the need for better cyber hygiene in the space industry.

Space ISAC, which the Aerospace Corporation is a founding member of, and NASA signed a formal partnership. It intends to promote the exchange of information on a range of space systems security challenges, including space weather, communication anomalies, spectrum interference, and cybersecurity threats.

“It’s not a system. There’s not going to be a ‘Golden Dome delivered,’” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, at a news conference during Space Symposium. “It’s a system of systems that has to work together. And so there won’t be a single contract vehicle. There will be multiple programs that are brought to bear to solve that mission against the threats.”

The Space Force shuffled the lineup for launching its next series of high-priority national security space missions, swapping the lead position of heritage provider ULA for competitor SpaceX.

Jared Isaacman, the White House’s nominee to lead NASA, argued at his confirmation hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee that NASA can both pursue Artemis as well as human missions to Mars.