Reuters — Marlon Sorge, Aerospace’s executive director of the Center for Orbital and Re-entry Debris Studies (CORDS), says the easiest way for operators to ensure they don’t fall foul of the FCC’s 2022 rule that satellites de-orbit within 5 years, is to adhere to the de-orbiting parameters from the start of the design process.

Via Satellite — Aerospace’s Jim Myers, in an opinion piece: “Without continuous testing and adaptation, the space assets critical to preserving our national security and economic prosperity risk becoming fatal vulnerabilities.”

Air and Space Forces — Aerospace’s Brandon Bailey told CyberSat conference attendees about new rules from the the Pentagon-led interagency Committee on National Security Systems, which commercial satellite operators must employ if their products or services are used by U.S. intelligence agencies or military services.

Via Satellite — A recent study found that roughly half of the traffic from Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites is still unencrypted. One of Aerospace’s cybersecurity experts, Brandon Bailey, said, “We have too much trust built into our architectures, into that trusted link between the ground and the spacecraft.”

Ars Technica —  The document, titled Space Force Instruction 16-403, covers Space Force weapon system naming and designations, including “A for Attack,” “B for Battle Management,” and “P for Pursuit.”

Via Satellite — After the U.S. Space Force held a Moonlight Defender series of cyber exercises, which used Aerospace’s “Moonlighter” 3U cube satellite, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) established a space cyber program to serve as the central hub for space cyber activities across the agency.

SpaceNews — Blue Origin says it has passed a key development milestone for its Blue Ring spacecraft, a maneuverable in-orbit transport vehicle designed for national security missions and backed by Pentagon funding.

Air and Space Forces Magazine — Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman released a new document, whichs sums up U.S. Space Force’s current status and all of Saltzman’s efforts to solidify the Space Force’s identity as a warfighting service.

Marshall Smith, CEO of Starlab Space, reflects on his path from NASA engineer to leading the development of a next-generation commercial space station.

Aviation Week — The spacecraft, nicknamed Blue and Gold — the colors of UC Berkeley, which is overseeing the mission — will reach Mars in Sept. 2027. The identical satellites, built by Rocket Lab, are designed to work in tandem, with one in the solar wind environment around Mars, while the other makes simultaneous measurements of the thin Martian atmosphere.