Tag: Space Systems Command
-
U.S. Space Force Nears Contractor Decisions for RG-XX GEO Surveillance Satellites
The U.S. Space Force expects to select contractors by March 2026 for its Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance (RG-XX) program, a new generation of satellites aimed at improving monitoring of objects and potential threats in geostationary orbit, program officials said. The RG-XX effort is designed as a “proliferated” constellation, relying on a larger number of commercially…
-
U.S. Space Force Updates Command Plan, Sets 2026 Commitments to Speed Capability Delivery
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) has updated its command plan and outlined key commitments for 2026, aiming to accelerate the delivery of resilient and combat-ready space capabilities as threats in orbit continue to grow. Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of SSC, presented the revised plan during a keynote address at AFCEA’s Space…
-
TrustPoint Demonstrates GPS-Independent Time Transfer for LEO Navigation System
TrustPoint said it has completed a key ground-to-space time-transfer and tracking demonstration for its Low Earth Orbit Navigation System (LEONS), a milestone the company described as advancing its goal of offering a commercial, GPS-independent positioning, navigation and timing service. The work was carried out under the SpaceWERX Alternative PNT (AltPNT) Challenge, according to a Jan.…
-
U.S. Space Force switches rockets for upcoming GPS satellite launch
The GPS III Space Vehicle 09, the ninth GPS III spacecraft, is pictured traveling by road from Lockheed Martin facilities in Denver, CO, to Florida’s Space Coast. Image: Lockheed Martin The next Global Positioning System satellite is switching from a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket to a SpaceX Falcon 9, a spokesperson for the U.S.…
-
SpaceX Wins $739 Million in U.S. Military Launch Contracts for Missile Tracking Missions
SpaceX has secured $739 million in new U.S. military launch contracts to support missile warning and tracking missions, reinforcing the company’s role in America’s national security space architecture. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) said on Friday that the contracts were awarded under National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 task…
-
Rocket Lab launches 4 novel DiskSat satellites for U.S. Space Force, NASA
An overhead view of Aerospace’s DiskSat during launch preparations. Image: Rocket Lab A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched four novel satellite buses minutes after midnight from Virginia on Thursday. The 20th launch of an Electron rocket was dubbed ‘Don’t Be Such A Square’ by the company and carried onboard the Space Test Program (STP)-S30 mission.…
-
Blue Origin halfway through 4-flight certification to allow launch of national security missions
New Glenn thunders away from its launch pad in near perfect weather conditions. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now. One of Blue Origin’s oft repeated phrases is that the company is paving a road to space with its New Glenn rocket. The company, established by Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, is about halfway through creating one important lane…
-
U.S. Space Force picks Blue Origin bid for expanding satellite processing at Cape Canaveral
Blue Origin’s New Glenn, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and ULA’s Vulcan rockets launch from their respective pads. Image: Blue Origin, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance Getting newer and increasingly more capable assets in space for U.S. service members and allies is a primary goal for the U.S. Space Force. Among the challenges to bolstering America’s various on…
-
New U.S. military satellite constellation takes shape with first launch from Vandenberg SFB
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sept. 10, 2025. It carried 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer, part of the larger Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation. Image: SpaceX The Space Development Agency…
-
ULA begins stacking its 1st Vulcan rocket supporting a national security mission
United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists its Vulcan first stage booster into the Vertical Integration Facility-G (VIF-G) adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Oct. 22, 2024. The rocket will launch the USSF-106 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, Vulcan’s first national security flight. Image: United Launch…