Tag: U.S. Space Force
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Boeing Wins $2.8 Billion Space Force Contract for Next-Gen Strategic Communications Satellites
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Boeing a $2.8 billion contract to develop two secure communications satellites under the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) program, the Department of Defense announced Thursday. The decision positions Boeing as the lead contractor for the next generation of highly secure military satellites designed to operate in increasingly contested space…
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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…
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Jacobs Wins $4 Bln U.S. Space Force Contract to Support Launch Ranges Through 2035
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Jacobs Technology a contract worth up to $4 billion over 10 years to provide engineering and technical services across the nation’s primary space launch ranges, the military said. The “Space Force Range Contract,” awarded by the Space Systems Command on May 31, will support operations at the Eastern Range,…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches U.S. Military’s Latest GPS Satellite
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the U.S. military’s newest Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite on May 30, marking another step in modernizing the GPS constellation. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:37 p.m. Eastern Time, carrying the GPS III SV-08 satellite, the eighth spacecraft in the U.S. Space…
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U.S. Space Force Orders Two Additional GPS IIIF Satellites from Lockheed Martin
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $509.7 million contract for two more Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, expanding the military’s investment in the advanced GPS III Follow-on (GPS IIIF) constellation aimed at bolstering both civilian and defense navigation services. The new satellites, GPS IIIF-21 and IIIF-22, are scheduled for delivery by 2031,…
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U.S. Space Force Awards BAE Systems $1.2 Billion Contract for Missile-Tracking Satellites in Medium Earth Orbit
The U.S. Space Force has awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract to build 10 missile-tracking satellites for a medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation aimed at enhancing missile defense capabilities. The contract, awarded on May 29 to BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems through a firm fixed price Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, marks the…
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Raytheon Secures $379.7 Million Contract Extension for Delayed GPS Control System
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Raytheon a $379.7 million contract extension to continue work on the overdue Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), a critical upgrade to the Global Positioning System (GPS) ground control infrastructure that is now more than eight years behind schedule. The contract extension, disclosed on May 21, adds another year…
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Trump Taps Gen. Guetlein to Lead Ambitious Golden Dome Missile Defense Initiative
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced the selection of U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to oversee the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, a high-cost and technologically complex program intended to build a national shield against advanced missile threats, including hypersonic and ballistic weapons. Speaking during an Oval Office briefing with Defense Secretary…
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U.S. Space Force awards $13.7 billion in new national security launch contracts to Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA
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 A long-awaited launch contract for national security missions was announced by the U.S. Space Force after close of business Friday evening. The mission spreads nearly $14 billion worth of missions between Blue…
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U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane lands following 434-day orbital mission
The X-37B on the runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base following its landing there on March 7, 2025. Image: U.S. Space Force. Announced with the thunder of a sonic boom, the secretive U.S. military X-37B spaceplane made its return from orbit early Friday at 2:22am EST (0722 UTC). The uncrewed spacecraft touched down on a…