Aerospace America – At ASCEND 2026, Brig. Gen. Nick Hague, assistant deputy chief of staff for space operations, said there’s a need for more partnerships with the commercial space industry and academia. “We need your ideas. We need your technology. We need your speed.”
SpaceNews – The acting director of the Space Development Agency, Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, has been appointed to a dual role overseeing both the agency and a new U.S. Space Force acquisition office responsible for missile-warning satellite procurements.
Kent Rominger brings decades of experience solving complex challenges across the space enterprise as a former vice president at Northrop Grumman and Orbital ATK, a NASA astronaut, and a U.S. Navy veteran. He has received the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
Air and Space Forces — “The Space Force plans to stand up a Mission Operations Center to manage the backbone of its hybrid commercial-government data transport constellation, the Space Data Network.”
Aerospace America — “AIAA’s inaugural ASCEND 2026 Classified Day, planned for Monday, 18 May at The Aerospace Corporation’s corporate headquarters in Chantilly, VA, comes at a time of intense transformation in the U.S. space community.”
The Journal of Space Commerce – The Aerospace Corporation in Colorado Springs, CO, is hosting a tabletop exercise, “Campaigning with Commercial Partners,” in June 2026. Operators and prime contractors who participate will shape the government’s expectations for what a cybersecurity-ready commercial partner looks like.
Breaking Defense – The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) and the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, SpaceWERX, awarded three small companies contracts worth $3 million each, to develop new radar warning receivers for future highly maneuverable satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit.
SpaceNews — A manufacturing issue involving a European company, Thales Alenia Space, resulted in corrosion in modules produced for both the lunar Gateway and Axiom Space’s commercial space station.
Air and Space Forces — The U.S. Space Force’s attempt to cancel the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar program, appears to be a show of confidence that LEO and MEO Resilient Missile Warning/Missile Tracking satellites are a more viable alternative.
Aerospace’s Sam Wilson, director for strategy and national security for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, joined The Downlink Podcast to discuss the U.S. Space Force’s proposed budget.
