Aerospace America — At a panel at 2025 ASCEND, Aerospace’s Lori Gordon highlighted the need for industry-led standards and regulatory frameworks that can keep pace with innovation.
Senate Appropriators Fund Dozens of Threatened NASA Science Missions
SpaceNews — A Senate spending bill would restore funding for dozens of NASA science missions. It includes $24.9 billion for NASA, slightly more than the $24.838 billion that the agency received in 2025 and more than the $18.8 billion proposed by the White House in May.
US Space Force Front Door Fosters International Partnerships at Inaugural Event
Space Systems Command — The genesis of the event started with a meeting between Kara Hernandez, an Aerospace Corporation contractor supporting Front Door, and the UK Department of Business and Trade.
Days After SES, Intelsat Merge and SpaceX Launch 2 Satellites for Company From Cape Canaveral
Fresh off completing its $3.1 billion acquisition of competitor Intelsat on Thursday, July 17, European global satellite operator SES launched a key pair of satellites atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Space Force Sets Guidelines Prioritizing Military Missions as Launch Demand Surges
SpaceNews — The U.S. Space Force released new guidelines for how it will allocate finite launch infrastructure and range resources as commercial demand surges at the nation’s premier space ports, stating that national security missions will take precedence when capacity constraints emerge.
Will Florida’s Space Coast Surpass 100 Annual Rocket Launches for 1st Time This Year?
Florida Today — Aerospace’s Karen Jones said, “The increase [in launches per year] that you’re seeing, especially in our eastern and western ranges, reflects the deployment of these mega-constellations. … It’s healthy. It’s showing that market’s growing.”
Space Force Accepts New GPS Control System After Years of Delays
Air and Space Forces Magazine — The Space Force officially took ownership of the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, from contractor RTX. The update is key to enabling enhancements like anti-jamming, improved accuracy, and secure geolocation using M-Code.
Lawmakers Push Space Force to Invest in New, Commercial Surveillance
Air and Space Forces Magazine — The upcoming National Defense Authorization bill includes $50 million for Space Force’s Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking program (TacSRT) and $5 million to research very low-Earth orbit spacecraft.
Space Force MILNET Constellation Emerges as Top ‘Unfunded Priority’
SpaceNews — The U.S. Space Force estimates it needs more than $4 billion for the MILNET proliferated LEO satellite communications program, which would provide global communications services.
Space Force Building Out More Realistic Digital Training Environment
DefenseNews — Maj. Gen. Tim Sejba of Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) said the digital training environment, Swarm, features simulated threats and U.S. and allied capabilities. This allows operators to train against adversarial tactics with representative Space Force systems.