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.

Barron’s — With NASA’s International Space Station set to come out of service in 2030, American aerospace firm Vast has stepped into a frenzied race for the world’s first commercial space station.

Aviation Week — The U.S. Space Force is overhauling its training systems and doctrines. The Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) merges virtual environments with live ranges to ready personnel for on-orbit conflict.