Tag: U.S. Space Force
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Former ULA president and CEO Tory Bruno joins Blue Origin
ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno participated in a fireside chat with Michael Dickey, director of the Force Design Integration Office at the U.S. Space Force’s Space Warfighting Analysis Center. The conversation happened on the final day of the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference on Dec. 12, 2024. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now Blue Origin announced…
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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…
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U.S. Space Force Awards Prototype Contracts for Space-Based Missile Interceptors
The U.S. Space Force has awarded initial prototype contracts to multiple companies to develop space-based interceptors capable of disabling enemy missiles within minutes of launch, as part of the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative, the service said in a statement. The contracts were issued under competitive Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), a mechanism used to…
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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…
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SpaceX to launch 4 Falcon Heavy rockets as part of newest U.S. national security missions award
A Falcon Heavy roars passed the Moon as it launches the X-37B for the U.S. military. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now. The latest missions carrying payloads for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) were announced on Friday with a combined value of $1.142 billion. SpaceX was tasked with five missions and…
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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…
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Department of the Air Force, FAA clear SpaceX to launch up to 120 Falcon 9 rockets annually from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Crew Dragon atop a Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) for the first time on the Crew-9 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of the Air Force gave the green light for SpaceX to more than double its launch cadence from its…
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Launch preview: Space Development Agency, SpaceX to launch next-gen national security satellites
21 satellites manufactured by York Space Systems for Space Development Agency’s upcoming Tranche 1 Transport Layer launch. Image: York Space Systems The first in a series of launches supporting a burgeoning satellite constellation for the Space Development Agency (SDA) is set to take flight Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SDA…
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SpaceX launches Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane to demo laser communications, quantum navigation
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaks away from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to begin the USSF-36 mission with the X-37B spaceplane onboard. More than eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster, tail number 1092, landed with a sonic boom at Landing Zone 2. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Update Aug. 22,…
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Launch preview: SpaceX to launch X-37B military spaceplane on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center
The X-37B on the runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base following its landing there on March 7, 2025. Image: U.S. Space Force. Update Aug. 20, 12:56 p.m. EDT: Added additional information from the 45th Weather Squadron. The U.S. Space Force and SpaceX are preparing to launch the Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane on its eighth mission shortly…