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.

Defense Innovation Unit taps Lyten to develop high-performance batteries for small satellites SpaceNews · 10 Jan 2022 Lyten, a battery manufacturer based in California, has prototyped an advanced battery design for small satellites under a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit.
U.S. Defense Innovation Unit selects Maxar to produce robotic arms for on-orbit servicing SpaceNews · 20 Dec 2021 Maxar Technologies won a $9.3 million Defense Department contract to design and deliver two in-space servicing robotic arms for the Defense Innovation Unit.
Mynaric selected by DARPA to design next-generation optical terminals SpaceNews · 20 Dec 2021 Mynaric has been selected to participate in a DARPA program to develop next-generation laser communications terminals.
L3Harris’ missile-tracking satellites pass critical design reviews SpaceNews · 20 Dec 2021 Missile-tracking satellites developed by L3Harris for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Space Development Agency passed critical design reviews.
Interoperability demo planned between DARPA’s Blackjack and PredaSAR satellites SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 PredaSAR won a $2 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate interoperability between its satellites and the Blackjack military constellation.
Parsons to develop ground operations center for DARPA’s Blackjack satellites SpaceNews · 11 Dec 2021 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Parsons a $10.8 million contract to prototype a ground operations center for the agency’s Blackjack constellation.
Space Development Agency to acquire 28 missile-tracking satellites to launch in late 2024 SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2021 The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency is planning a new procurement of satellites that will be part of a global constellation of missile-tracking space sensors.
Valley Tech Systems wins $94 million missile defense contract SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2021 Valley Tech Systems, a firm recently acquired by Voyager Space, won a $94 million contract from Lockheed Martin to provide a solid propulsion subsystem for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Next Generation Interceptor.
DoD space agency making contingency plans in case Congress doesn’t pass a budget SpaceNews · 6 Dec 2021 The Space Development Agency’s plans to launch 20 satellites and procure an additional 126 over the coming year could be derailed if Congress doesn’t pass a budget when temporary funding expires in February, SDA director...
Changes ahead for Space Force procurement organizations SpaceNews · 3 Dec 2021 A new senior procurement executive for space programs will oversee the transfer of the Space Development Agency and a restructuring of the Space Systems Command
DARPA to launch DoD’s first in-space manufacturing research program SpaceNews · 29 Nov 2021 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in a new program will explore options to conduct biomanufacturing in space, using biological systems like microbes to construct materials for use in orbital operations.
Space Development Agency a potential ‘path to market’ for commercial satellite imagery SpaceNews · 17 Nov 2021 The Space Development Agency would allow satellite imagery vendors to send data directly to DoD transport satellites.
Capella to install optical terminals on imaging satellites to share data with DoD space agency SpaceNews · 9 Nov 2021 Capella Space will begin installing optical communications terminals on synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellites in 2022 as part of a campaign to quickly deliver data to the Pentagon Space Development Agency’s new Natio...
Space Development Agency to release new solicitation for constellation ground segment SpaceNews · 7 Nov 2021 The Space Development Agency in early 2022 will seek bids for the ground segment portion of its low-Earth orbit constellation.
Space Development Agency’s request for bids challenged for ‘risk’ imposed on contractors SpaceNews · 29 Oct 2021 Maxar Technologies decided to challenge a Defense Department procurement of 126 satellites because of the financial burden the program imposed on contractors, the company said.
DoD space agency changes course on satellite procurement in wake of Maxar’s protest SpaceNews · 28 Oct 2021 In response to a protest filed by Maxar Technologies, the Defense Department’s Space Development Agency is canceling a solicitation issued Aug. 30 seeking bids for 144 satellites and will start over with a new procuremen...
Hyten blasts ‘unbelievably’ slow DoD bureaucracy as China advances space weapons SpaceNews · 28 Oct 2021 Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten warned that bureaucratic inertia and fear of failing are thwarting innovation in the Department of Defense while China continues to roll out new military and spa...
Maxar files protest over Space Development Agency’s satellite procurement SpaceNews · 12 Oct 2021 Maxar Technologies filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office Oct. 8 challenging a Space Development Agency solicitation seeking industry bids for 126 satellites.
Space Development Agency seeks proposals for 18 satellites with experimental payloads SpaceNews · 11 Oct 2021 The Space Development Agency on Oct. 8 issued a draft request for bids for 18 satellites that will carry experimental payloads.
DoD seeks ideas for connecting government and commercial satellites SpaceNews · 1 Oct 2021 The Defense Innovation Unit in a new solicitation is asking the companies for ideas on how to build a “hybrid architecture” of government and commercial satellites.
Space Development Agency revises Transport Layer procurement, with fewer satellites per launch SpaceNews · 27 Sep 2021 The Space Development Agency revised a request for proposals that previously had sought bids for 144 satellites. It is now seeking proposals for 126 satellites, and will procure the other 18 at a later time.
L3Harris’ missile-tracking satellites pass early design review SpaceNews · 20 Sep 2021 L3Harris announced Sept. 20 that the Space Development Agency has approved the company’s proposed design for a missile tracking satellite.
DARPA seeking satellite laser terminals that can talk to any space network SpaceNews · 14 Sep 2021 DARPA is asking for ideas on how to make optical inter-satellite links that can connect government and commercial space communications systems in low Earth orbit.
DoD looking for commercially available nuclear propulsion for small spacecraft SpaceNews · 11 Sep 2021 The Defense Innovation Unit last week issued a call for bids for small nuclear-powered engines for space missions beyond Earth orbit.
DARPA awards Lockheed Martin $25 million contract modification for integration of Blackjack satellites SpaceNews · 7 Sep 2021 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency increased Lockheed Martin’s contract for satellite integration work for the Blackjack program by $25.3 million.
Space Development Agency to acquire 144 satellites from multiple vendors SpaceNews · 30 Aug 2021 The Defense Department’s space agency on Aug. 30 released a request for proposals from satellite manufacturers that would compete for contracts to build as many as 144 satellites.
Space Development Agency’s policy chief: ‘Our focus is maintaining our rapid schedule’ SpaceNews · 25 Aug 2021 Paula Trimble joined SDA in January as policy chief and legislative affairs director. A longtime Washington policy insider and former space journalist, Trimble spoke with SpaceNews about the agency’s disruptive approach...
After negotiations, Space Development Agency was able to get reduced pricing for national security launch SpaceNews · 24 Aug 2021 SDA Director Derek Tournear said initially he did not want to use NSSL because it’s significantly more expensive than commercial launches but worked out an agreement with the Space Force to get the cost reduced
Kendall reorganizes Space Force acquisition office, wants faster merger with Space Development Agency SpaceNews · 24 Aug 2021 Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall announced Aug. 24 he is reorganizing the office that oversees Space Force acquisition programs.
DoD experiment flying to International Space Station to collect data for missile-tracking sensors SpaceNews · 9 Aug 2021 A Northrop Grumman spacecraft scheduled to launch Aug. 10 on a resupply mission to the International Space Station will carry a Space Development Agency experiment.
SpaceX or ULA to launch future Space Development Agency satellites SpaceNews · 26 Jul 2021 Launch services for Space Development Agency satellites will be procured under the National Security Space Launch program run by the U.S. Space Force.
DIU director Michael Brown withdraws as Pentagon acquisition nominee SpaceNews · 14 Jul 2021 President Biden’s pick to serve as undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, Michael Brown, has withdrawn his nomination.
Missile Defense Agency confirms deployment of cubesats launched by Virgin Orbit SpaceNews · 12 Jul 2021 Two Missile Defense Agency cubesats launched June 30 on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne successfully began communicating with ground stations last week, the agency announced July 12.
Virgin Orbit’s first operational mission deploys military CubeSats Spaceflight Now · 1 Jul 2021 Virgin Orbit’s air-launched rocket aced its first operational mission Wednesday, firing into orbit from the wing of a 747 carrier jet southwest of Los Angeles to deploy small satellites for the U.S. Army, Navy, the Missi...
Space Development Agency celebrates launch of its first satellites SpaceNews · 30 Jun 2021 The Defense Department’s space agency on June 30 hailed the deployment of its first missions which flew to orbit on a SpaceX rideshare carrying 88 small satellites.
Space Development Agency’s first satellites to launch on SpaceX mission Spaceflight Now · 28 Jun 2021 Five payloads from the Space Development Agency, an organization charged with rapidly infusing emerging technologies into the U.S. military’s space programs, are among more than 80 satellites awaiting launch from Cape Ca...
DoD space agency to create marketplace for commercial satellite data SpaceNews · 22 Jun 2021 The Space Development Agency is looking to work with commercial operators of imaging satellites so they can send data directly to U.S. government satellites in orbit.
Space Development Agency to launch five satellites aboard SpaceX rideshare SpaceNews · 22 Jun 2021 The U.S. Space Development Agency has five satellites riding on SpaceX’s Transporter-2 mission scheduled to launch June 25.
Capella Space wins research contract from U.S. Space Development Agency SpaceNews · 17 Jun 2021 Radar satellite imagery startup Capella Space on June 14 received a $3 million research contract in support of the Space Development Agency’s National Defense Space Architecture.
DoD space agency to launch laser communications experiments on SpaceX rideshare SpaceNews · 2 Jun 2021 A pair of cubesats built by General Atomics for the Space Development Agency will seek to demonstrate optical communications between satellites, and from satellites to a military drone aircraft.

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