Space News about Department of Defense

463 headlines. We show the headline and the publisher's own teaser; the full story is at the source.

DARPA seeks AI tools to automate tracking of satellite sensor data SpaceNews · 26 May 2023 BAE Systems won a $7 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop AI tools to automate the tracking of data collected by military satellites.
DARPA selects Umbra to demonstrate radar imaging techniques SpaceNews · 22 May 2023 Umbra won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to demonstrate novel collection techniques using synthetic aperture radar satellites, the company announced May 22.
Space Development Agency issues draft solicitation for 100 satellites SpaceNews · 12 May 2023 In a May 11 draft solicitation, the agency laid out its requirements for 100 “Alpha” satellites that will be part of a mesh network known as Transport Layer Tranche 2.
Maxar pursuing defense deals for its new line of small satellites SpaceNews · 8 May 2023 Maxar Technologies is set to deliver in early 2024 the first of 16 satellite buses ordered by L3Harris for a military constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO) run by the U.S. Space Development Agency.
CesiumAstro to supply communications payloads for Space Development Agency satellites SpaceNews · 4 May 2023 CesiumAstro, a company that specializes in communications technologies for satellites and aircraft, will supply electronic phased-array payloads for seven U.S. military satellites built by Raytheon Technologies.
Raytheon rethinks strategy to compete in military satellite market SpaceNews · 27 Apr 2023 Raytheon is building seven satellites for the Space Development Agency but plans to pursue a different strategy in future SDA satellite procurements.
Northrop Grumman clears design hurdle for military communications satellite SpaceNews · 18 Apr 2023 Northrop Grumman completed a critical design review of a Space Development Agency communications satellite in 13 months, a fraction of the time required for traditional space programs.
Ball taps Loft and Microsoft for SDA NExT program SpaceNews · 11 Apr 2023 Ball Aerospace announced plans April 11 to work with Loft Federal and Microsoft’s Azure Orbital on the Space Development Agency’s National Defense Space Architecture Experimental Testbed program.
Space Development Agency’s first satellite launch hailed as model SpaceNews · 5 Apr 2023 The successful launch of Tranche 0 satellites took place 27 months after SDA, an agency under the U.S. Space Force, ordered the satellites, drawing praise from senior officials.
Apple executive Doug Beck tapped to lead the Defense Innovation Unit SpaceNews · 4 Apr 2023 Apple executive Doug Beck has been named as the next director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Defense Department announced April 4.
SpaceX launches 10 satellites for U.S. Space Development Agency SpaceNews · 2 Apr 2023 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off April 2 at 10:29 a.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, carrying 10 military satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency.
SpaceX launches initial satellites for Space Development Agency NASASpaceflight · 2 Apr 2023 SpaceX has launched a batch of 10 communications and missile tracking satellites on the Tranche 0 Flight 1 mission for the Space Development Agency (SDA) on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 7:29 AM PDT (14:29 UTC).
SpaceX ready for launch with initial satellites for Space Development Agency NASASpaceflight · 30 Mar 2023 SpaceX is now scheduled to launch a batch of 10 communications and missile tracking satellites on the Tranche 0 Flight 1 mission for the Space Development Agency (SDA) on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 7:29 AM PDT (14:29 UTC)...
US Space Development Agency Ready To Launch First Satellites The Launch Pad · 29 Mar 2023 The Space Development Agency (SDA), a Pentagon initiative created in 2019 to accelerate the use of commercial space technology, is set to launch its first fleet of 10 satellites on March 30th.
Military space agency created to go fast is about to launch its first satellites SpaceNews · 29 Mar 2023 The Space Development Agency, formed inside the Pentagon in 2019 to help accelerate the use of commercial space technology, is preparing to launch on March 30 its inaugural fleet of 10 satellites.
Raytheon wins $250 million contract for missile-tracking satellites SpaceNews · 2 Mar 2023 The Space Development Agency awarded Raytheon Technologies a $250 million contract to build seven missile-tracking satellites for the agency’s low Earth orbit constellation
CesiumAstro wins SDA contract for Link 16 antennas SpaceNews · 2 Mar 2023 SAN FRANCISCO — CesiumAstro won a $5 million contract from the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency to develop active electronically scanned array antennas compatible with the Link 16 tactical data network. The Austin-bas...
Inflation’s squeeze on space and national security contracts SpaceNews · 17 Feb 2023 For companies who provide unique capabilities, or deliver sophisticated platforms or components to the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, or NASA, inflationary pressures and delivery delays are seriously...
Space Force not buying large satellites for the foreseeable future SpaceNews · 24 Jan 2023 The era of massive satellites needs to be in the rear view mirror for the Department of Defense, the head of military space acquisitions Frank Calvelli said Jan. 24.
NASA and DARPA to partner on nuclear thermal propulsion demonstration SpaceNews · 24 Jan 2023 NASA and DARPA will cooperate on the development and flight demonstration of a nuclear propulsion system with applications for both national security and space exploration.
Space Development Agency renames constellation to reflect focus on U.S. warfighter SpaceNews · 23 Jan 2023 The Space Development Agency is renaming its planned network of military satellites “Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture."
NASA, DARPA Will Test Nuclear Engine for Future Mars Missions NASA · 23 Jan 2023 NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced Tuesday a collaboration to demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine in space, an enabling capability for NASA crewed missions to Mars.
Terran Orbital delivers 10 satellite buses to Lockheed Martin for U.S. military constellation SpaceNews · 22 Dec 2022 Terran Orbital announced Dec. 22 it has completed delivery of 10 satellite buses ordered by Lockheed Martin for the Space Development Agency's mesh network in low Earth orbit.
Space Development Agency’s first launch slips to March due to satellite glitch SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2022 The first launch of the Space Development Agency’s constellation planned for mid-December will slip to March 2023 due to an anomaly detected in York Space’s satellites.
Defense Innovation Unit seeks commercial options to deploy satellites in deep space SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2022 The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking proposals for commercial services to deploy and operate payloads in outer space beyond Earth orbit
Defense, Commerce Departments select companies to prototype space traffic management solutions SpaceNews · 6 Dec 2022 The Office of Space Commerce and the Department of Defense announced Dec. 6 they have selected seven commercial firms to prototype space traffic data platforms
Mynaric, Redwire, BigBear.ai partner for DARPA’s laser communications program SpaceNews · 6 Dec 2022 Mynaric selected a cybersecurity tool from Redwire and BigBear.ai for an inter-satellite laser communications terminal being developed for DARPA
Space Development Agency still hoping to launch satellites next month, ‘but there’s risk’ SpaceNews · 10 Nov 2022 The Space Development Agency remains optimistic it will launch next month the first satellites of a planned mesh network of sensors and communications nodes in low Earth orbit
Rocket Lab wins $14 million in contracts to supply hardware for U.S. military satellites SpaceNews · 9 Nov 2022 Rocket Lab USA won two contracts worth $14 million to provide separation systems for Space Development Agency satellites.
DARPA’s robot could start servicing satellites in 2025 SpaceNews · 8 Nov 2022 DARPA's RSGS satellite-servicing payload has completed key tests and is on track to be integrated with a Northrop Grumman spacecraft next year and launch to orbit in 2024
Amazon, Microsoft, SpiderOak join Defense Innovation Unit’s hybrid space network project SpaceNews · 2 Nov 2022 The Defense Innovation Unit on Nov. 2 announced new agreements with Amazon Web Services, Kuiper Government Solutions, Microsoft Azure Space and SpiderOak Mission Systems.
Spire selected to design satellite for DARPA experiment in very low orbit SpaceNews · 1 Nov 2022 DARPA selected Spire Global to design a small satellite for an experiment to study high-frequency radio signals in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
Leidos selected by Northrop Grumman to supply sensor payloads for U.S. missile-tracking satellites SpaceNews · 1 Nov 2022 Northrop Grumman selected Leidos to supply infrared sensor payloads for the U.S. Space Development Agency’s missile-tracking satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.
DIU selects startups for U.S. military weather modeling project SpaceNews · 26 Oct 2022 The Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Air Force announced Oct. 26 they selected five companies to help build weather models using data from satellites, aerial and terrestrial sensors.
Starlink’s survivability in war a good sign for DoD’s future constellation SpaceNews · 25 Oct 2022 SDA Director Derek Tournear said Starlink's performance so far speaks to the power of a proliferated constellation to deter attacks and provide resilience
Preligens aims to become a long-term DoD supplier SpaceNews · 24 Oct 2022 Preligens is expanding its U.S. subsidiary in a bid to become a long-term supplier of geospatial data analysis software to the U.S. Department of Defense.
SDA slide reveals Tranche 0 optical terminal manufacturers SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2022 “I'm going to do competitions for every Tranche, every layer, every time and it's going to be full and open,” Space Development Agency director Derek Tournear said. “The only way we can do that is if I make sure all the...
York Space wins $200 million Space Development Agency contract for 12 satellites SpaceNews · 6 Oct 2022 York Space won a $200 million contract for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES) program
Ball Aerospace wins $176 million contract to build and operate 10 satellites for Space Development Agency SpaceNews · 4 Oct 2022 The Space Development Agency announced Oct. 4 it awarded Ball Aerospace a $176 million contract to build, operate and secure launch services for 10 experimental satellites.
Space Development Agency is now officially part of the Space Force SpaceNews · 1 Oct 2022 The Space Development Agency was officially transferred to the U.S. Space Force, Oct. 1.

Launch and satellite data: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT (CC BY 4.0) and CelesTrak. Rockets, spacecraft and agencies: Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs and Wikidata. News headlines link to their publishers via the Spaceflight News API and RSS feeds. Records come from several sources and are matched automatically, so treat the directory as a research aid, not an authority. How the data is built and checked.

News: Department of Defense