Space Systems Command awarded the prototype contracts to Northrop Grumman and True Anomaly under the Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaissance program, or GHOST-R, on Sept. 18.

The deal pairs a veteran American defense prime with a four-year-old space tech company – both of which are already under contract with the Space Force to develop space-based interceptors for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

“To be able to negate threats in space, we must be able to find, fix, track, and target those threats,” Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, said Sept. 16 at the AMOS Conference in Maui, Hawaii, just days before the announcement.

“Targeting in the space domain is maturing, but it still has a long way to go.”

GHOST-R is meant to address some of these problems by using “commercially developed space vehicles, buses, and electro-optical payloads to deliver high-resolution, space-to-space imagery for characterizing resident space objects in [geostationary Earth orbit] GEO,” according to the command announcement.

The new contracts are the latest major development in the RG-XX program, the Space Force’s next-generation orbital tracking initiative aiming to field a fleet of agile, low-cost reconnaissance satellites in geosynchronous orbit to help build out U.S. defense capacity in space by the end of the decade.

“Collaborating with DIU on GHOST-R is a true force multiplier. We are leveraging rapid prototyping to push the envelope of what commercial tech can deliver to the RG-XX program,” Col. Bryon McClain, acting Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) for Space Combat Power, said in the release.

Northrop will deliver a prototype the size of a “small suitcase” built on its ESPASat-L spacecraft, using a commercial optical sensor, and produced on “an accelerated 24-month timeline.”

“Space is becoming more congested and contested every day, and our joint forces depend on clear, timely insight into what’s happening on orbit,” Ryan Tintner, Northrop’s vice president, said in a company announcement about the deal.

True Anomaly will deliver its Jackal autonomous orbital vehicle and Mosaic command-and-control system, a dynamic operations sensor suite, through the initiative, according to the company’s release.

“As agile, maneuverable adversary platforms become more capable, the reconnaissance architecture can no longer rely on a handful of exquisite assets,” company CEO and co-founder Even Rogers said in the announcement.

Neither the Pentagon nor the companies have so far disclosed the value of the contracts or the source of their funding – although the money did not come from Andromeda, the Space Force’s up to $6.2 billion contract pool for RG-XX, an SSC spokesperson told Breaking Defense.

The new GHOST-R prototypes are set to launch directly to geosynchronous orbit by 2028 and fly government-owned and operated missions by 2029, officials said.

The push comes after restrictions by the United States on satellite access in Ukraine and the Middle East over the past two years underscored the risk of dependence, executives and policy makers said at an industry conference here last week.

“Sovereignty” was a recurring theme at the World Space Business Week, held from Sept. 14 to 17 in Paris, and the two-day Space Defense & Security Summit side event.

U.S. firms touted their ability to build satellites in Europe or operate free from International Traffic in Arms Regulations, while European companies highlighted their ability to provide local clients with complete satellite systems.

“The drive to sovereignty, we all have customers that want to go there,” said Noam Segal, the chief executive officer of Israeli firm ImageSat International, or ISI. “Any of the defense customers we are dealing with can find themselves in a geopolitical situation in which one of the suppliers will not be able to deliver. I think this is the driver.”

The war in Ukraine has highlighted both the importance of satellite data on the modern battlefield and the reliance of Western militaries on U.S. suppliers for critical space capabilities. Restrictions on Starlink access in Ukraine, a halt in U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine in March 2025 and imagery restrictions over the Middle East in 2026 are pushing European countries to seek sovereign alternatives.

The lesson from Ukraine has been to show how critical space has become for defense, as well as “the importance of indeed not being reliant on solutions you don’t control,” said Guillaume de la Brosse, head of the defense policy and innovation unit at the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm.

He said there is a “clear imperative” to accelerate development of sovereign space-based capabilities in Europe, meaning a minimum backbone of public assets owned by either the EU or member states, and an EU-based industry able to provide sovereign services “that we can control all the time.”

“Sovereignty very much matters, this is what we’ve learned from Ukraine,” De la Brosse said. “That does not preclude the fact that we need cooperation, whatever happens, but that as a pre-requirement has sovereignty. It’s good to cut dependencies where we need to cut dependencies, and that’s very much the agenda of the upcoming years.”

Recent history showed space sovereignty is the only ultimate guarantee of having the freedom to “assess and act when conflict breaks out,” said Jean-Baptiste Paing, a deputy director at France’s Directorate General for Armament whose responsibilities include intelligence and space operations. He cited the difficulty obtaining commercial satellite communications over Afghanistan and, more recently, access to commercial imaging during the various crises in the Middle East.

The emergence of New Space, the shift from a government-dominated to a private space industry that has cut the cost of launchers and satellites, is allowing European governments to establish space sovereignty even with relatively limited budgets, executives said.

The number of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites for defense purposes, “a key priority for most nations,” is expected to increase more than fourfold through to 2035, according to industry consultancy Novaspace, which organized the conferences.

New Space provides “an incredible opportunity” for countries that didn’t have a space industry to develop their own sovereign capabilities, said Vincent Dedieu, the CEO of Sodern, a unit of France’s ArianeGroup. He said Sodern has been working with countries such as Poland, Bulgaria and Finland, which are taking advantage of New Space to catch up in both defense and commercial space.

The fact that customers are now able to own space assets at a “completely different cost point” from the past means the push for sovereign capabilities “is a strong trend that’s going to be there for the future,” according to Segal at ISI.

There is a “seismic shift” in how industry and governments deal with space capabilities, said Julia Gottfriedsen, chief technology officer at German thermal-imaging startup Constellr. She cited the example of Germany buying data from ICEYE and Rheinmetall for its brigade in Lithuania, through a service-level agreement that shifted the risk for data supply to the companies.

“So this is pretty modern and new, while in parallel, of course, the governments are also looking into procuring their own infrastructure,” Gottfriedsen said.

Executives at U.S.-based geospatial intelligence firms such as Planet Labs, BlackSky and Vantor all noted that their satellites can be delivered ITAR-free, with several highlighting their European presence or ability to manufacture their satellites outside the Untied States.

HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini said partnerships with Italy’s Leonardo and Czechia’s ERA and having a Luxembourg subsidiary means he’s confident that “even as a U.S. company,” the firm can meet the requirement of European militaries “regardless of how those customers want the sovereignty delivered to them.”

Planet Labs cut the ribbon on a new facility in Berlin this week, and co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Robbie Schingler said the company’s first German-built Pelican satellite is set to come off the production line by the end of the year and sent into orbit on a German-built Isar Aerospace rocket launched from Norway “sometime early next year.”

Meanwhile, Finland’s ICEYE is taking sovereignty “to a whole different level” to fulfill a German order for a 40-satellite constellation, setting up a manufacturing site in western Germany controlled by a German-owned entity and keeping the entire supply chain within the country, according to CEO Rafal Modrzewski. That does require a sufficiently large order to justify the investment, he said.

For European customers that own and operate a smaller number of ICEYE satellites, such as Sweden, Finland, Poland and the Netherlands, the company is now offering a software layer that allows countries to “federate their assets at the tactical level” and borrow each other’s capabilities to cover areas of interest, Modrzewski said.

One element of sovereignty is assurance and control, another is choice, said Schingler at Planet Labs. The federation approach allows countries to network their systems for an ad hoc mission, “and that choice also gives a lot of sovereignty,” he said.

The European Commission is pushing for international cooperation to remain the way of doing things in space, including through discussions with NATO about space security, even if “that cooperation is very much challenged, and there is a need for Europeans to do much more, investing in their freedom of action,” De la Brosse said.

He said that as EU members invest heavily in space, one challenge is to avoid “renationalization of space policies,” and the commission is using the EU budget to provide an incentive to member states to coordinate investments and pool space resources rather than develop constellations without taking other member states into account.

Germany’s plan to invest a “massive” €35 billion in sovereign military space capabilities by 2030 may raise concern among some EU members that the country will “fly solo,” but the investment is a legitimate sovereign choice, said Paing at the DGA.

“I cannot speak for sovereignty myself without recognizing the same capacity in other countries, and I think it should be seen more as a model to follow for others rather than something to be afraid of,” Paing said. “That being said, I believe that this investment should nevertheless be put at the service of building a stronger Europe.”

Sovereignty also includes the ability to get satellites into orbit, executives said, with several remarking on the scarcity of launch slots. Nicolas Lefort, the head of new markets at MBDA, said France’s Toutatis project to bring a maneuverable satellite into low-Earth orbit is still waiting for a launcher.

François Lombard, the head of connected intelligence at Airbus Defence and Space, said he’s optimistic about new European players offering launchers capable of carrying one-ton payloads into LEO, citing a recent successful launch by Germany’s Isar Aerospace, as well as ArianeGroup’s MaiaSpace coming to the market “pretty soon.”

“In that case, European alternatives, which is good,” Lombard said. “There are a few satellites we cannot launch from other continents, so it’s important that we have also the sovereign access to space for this class of satellites in a competitive manner.”

The growth will hinge on the service recruiting more than 200 guardians and civilian specialists to fill instructor roles in anticipation of the large increase in students, Space Training and Readiness Commander Maj. Gen. James E. Smith told reporters Tuesday at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

“We understand the requirements behind right-sizing the Space Force, and we are fully postured to meet those goals for FY27,” Smith said.

“Adding 10,000 Guardians over the next five years represents our target, with a significant portion of that growth occurring in the first year,” he continued. “Predictable budget resources will remain vital as we scale operations to maintain our FY27 momentum.”

As of 2024, the Space Force employed more than 14,000 civilian and military guardians, according to the service, with around 9,400 active-duty guardians.

The 200 instructor roles include officer and enlisted basic training, commissioning pipelines, initial skills training and professional military education, according to a STARCOM release. They’d be assigned to Air Force ROTC detachments across the country, Officer Training School and the Air Force Academy, as well as three enlisted initial skills training locations and enlisted PME courses.

STARCOM will work to rapidly onboard and qualify the new personnel to handle the incoming number of students, the release says. In fiscal 2027, STARCOM plans to expand its Basic Military Training channel by more than 90% to accommodate 1,400 recruits at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, with initial skills courses also facing expansion to match the increase in students.

Enlisted professional military education will grow by nearly 120% to train more than 1,300 students annually, and the Officer Training School will “scale its pipeline” by nearly 600% to prepare around 850 officer trainees, per the statement.

Air Force ROTC anticipates a 100% jump in commissions to around 200 guardians next year.

After commissioning, new officers enter OTC, which is housed at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, with enrollment expected to increase 275% to more than 1,350 officers in fiscal 2027.

Eventually, officer professional military education will absorb an additional 1,600 students for a 330% increase.

“While we currently have a great partnership with the U.S. Air Force for many of our development courses,” Smith said, “ultimately, Guardians require space-minded education and rigorous, domain-specific training to ensure combat credibility, integrate seamlessly with the joint force and protect national interests.”

The news of the growth comes as the White House announced plans in late August to establish a NASA-led Space Force Academy in an effort to expand education opportunities as the nation continues to register space as a “critical domain.”

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess said in a Tuesday media roundtable at the AFA conference that the Space Force is working with NASA to support the development of the academy, but the service will continue to graduate 100 guardians a year from the Air Force Academy.

“I think we’re at the very beginning stages, and so I think anybody that’s space-minded and is going to have that background that can then get a job in the Space Force as a civilian, that’s great,” he told reporters.

Defense-owned satellites for ISR will drive the future market in the segment, with 2,306 launched into orbit in the 2026-2035 period, from 485 launched in the decade through to 2025, according to data presented by Novaspace Chief Executive Officer Pacôme Révillon at the Space Defense and Security Summit here on Tuesday.

The war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of space-based intelligence on the battlefield, while a brief halt of data sharing by the United States in March 2025 showed the need for governments to have assured access to space-based intel. That in turn has been a boon to commercial providers of ISR satellites, such as Finland’s ICEYE.

US Air Force secretary reveals deployment of on-orbit space control weapons

ISR “is obviously a key priority currently for most nations,” Révillon said. ”It’s clearly a world that was already largely transparent, but the direction is as much for a diversification of assets for real-time and persistent intelligence.”

Most of the defense ISR satellites launched in the coming decade will be for constellations rather than individual satellites, according to Novaspace.

Government budgets for space defense are forecast to climb to $121 billion in 2028 from $74 billion last year, according to Novaspace, which said at least 55 countries have space defense budgets. Government budgets for space defense amounted to $53 billion in 2022, based on the consultancy’s data.

Novaspace expects the number of operational systems in space may jump as much as fivefold to between 50,000 and 100,000 in 2036 from 18,000 satellites in 2026, increasing the need to keep track of them all.

More than 400 satellites for space situational awareness, or SSA, will be launched in 2025-2034, according to Novaspace. Global spending on SSA is forecast to amount to $61 billion over the period, with defense programs accounting for the bulk of that, at $52 billion.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced Monday at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference that the service has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against “hostile adversary action.”

Meink announced in a keynote address Monday at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference that the service has on-orbit space control weapons that are capable of defending the joint force against “hostile adversary action.”

Meink offered no other details, saying only that the phrasing was “well thought out.” He said maintaining and being able to depend on U.S. space capabilities is necessary as adversaries develop their own capabilities to threaten them.

“It is critically important that we maintain our dominance not only in the air but in space, and so that we’ve had to take steps to make sure that when we’re threatened, we can take care of that,” he said during his speech.

During a media roundtable following the keynote, Meink declined to comment on the type of weapons or why the announcement was made now.

Meink’s statement is the most direct public acknowledgment by a U.S. official to date regarding space control weapons, but he did not say when the weapons were launched or how many are in orbit.

Meink said that for more than a decade, the U.S. has been aware that adversaries such as China and Russia were developing their own capabilities to threaten U.S. systems.

“We need to maintain dominance in space as it becomes more and more important to how we function, how we operate militarily and economically, civilian-wise,” he told reporters.

The secretary called it necessary for deterrence, but he would not give more details about the weapons, saying that would negate its purpose.

“I’m not going to talk about the specifics of what we’re doing, whether we’ve tested or not tested or anything else,” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the project will pave the way for the launch of a Starlink-like system for the nation.

“The culmination of the process that began today can and will be a Polish Starlink,” Tusk said Sept. 9 at the MSPO defense show in Kielce, referring to SpaceX’s satellite network. “Anyone closely following the Russian-Ukrainian war knows how important communications are. It is absolutely critical. Without communications, you have nothing to look for on the modern battlefield.”

In a statement, PGZ said that the program is to be implemented from 2026 to 2030.

ICEYE has an ongoing cooperation with PGZ on an Earth observation system for the Polish Armed Forces. The Finnish company has delivered synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to the country’s military under its MikroSAR program. The system is designed as the first component of the military space capabilities toolkit Warsaw plans to develop in the coming years. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has fueled Poland’s efforts to ramp up its reconnaissance ability.

“The cooperation is to draw on the experience gained through the MikroSAR program and is to include the development of a space segment based on a distributed architecture, the development of domestic ground infrastructure, and the establishment of industrial capabilities enabling the system to be independently developed and maintained in Poland,” PGZ said.

The Finnish manufacturer said in a statement that its collaboration with the Polish group is to be based on the partners’ complementary roles.

“ICEYE will act as the technology partner, while PGZ will contribute its industrial and organizational capabilities,” the space company said. “ICEYE will be responsible for developing the satellite system architecture, designing and manufacturing the space platforms, and conducting satellite operations. PGZ’s role will be to organize the program’s domestic industrial base by identifying the group’s companies that will contribute their production capabilities, expertise and technical infrastructure.”

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority was aware the flight from Christchurch pivoted following the agency’s issue of a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, to the aircraft, a CAA spokesperson told Military Times.

The Russian Air Traffic Management Corporation notified the CAA of the space activity, the spokesperson said, causing the authority to issue the NOTAM to the U.S. Air Force flight.

In a follow-up statement, the spokesperson said that the CAA was made aware by the Russian air traffic agency of a planned missile launch and associated potential hazard to international airspace within New Zealand’s Oceanic Flight Information Region.

“As a result, we put in place a danger area and issued a NOTAM to alert aircraft operators to the potential hazard,” the spokesperson said. “This does not prevent aircraft from flying through the area, operators make their decisions based on the information available.”

NOTAMs alert aircraft operators of potential hazards to allow them to make operational decisions around flight planning.

“Much of our Oceanic FIR is over international waters, where we have limited control over activities,” the spokesperson said, referring to the roughly 30 million square kilometers of international waters that spans across the South Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea.

“It is normal practice for Airspace Authorities and Air Traffic Service Providers, provided with such hazard notifications to issue NOTAMs,” the spokesperson continued.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 shows a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III took off from Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand, on Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time, with the call sign ICE28.

The site shows the aircraft landed around 11:30 a.m. back at Christchurch.

The flight was a routine resupply mission scheduled for this time of year, a U.S. Pacific Air Forces spokesperson told Military Times.

“Christchurch is the gateway to Antarctica,” the PACAF spokesperson said. “Both the United States Air Force and New Zealand Defense Force conduct operations and logistical support out of Christchurch in support of our Antarctic science programs.”

The turnaround happened during the U.S. Air Force’s annual Winter Fly-in period, or WinFly, which usually occurs toward the end of August and delivers teams, equipment and cargo to McMurdo Station and Scott Base, both in Antarctica, ahead of its research season.

The PACAF spokesperson declined to comment on whether this flight was in direct support of the WinFly, but a 2012 Air Force release details that a C-17 delivered over 300 passengers and 230,000 pounds of cargo that year to Antarctica.

“Using Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand as the base of operations, the mission of WinFly is to deliver advance teams and cargo to the remote research center in preparation for the main season of Operation Deep Freeze,” the release reads.

Operation Deep Freeze provides support to the U.S. Antarctic Program, managed by the National Science Foundation, that allows for continuous scientific research in the region.

Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster III is a cargo aircraft capable of fast delivery of troops and loads to main operating bases or forward bases in deployment areas. The aircraft can also complete tactical airlift and airdrop missions as well as aeromedical evacuations.

The U.S. payload rode a Japanese H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. It is the second and final sensor in the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-Hosted Payload program, the first national security space partnership of its kind between the United States and Japan, according to a recent release.

The new payload will deliver near-real-time data to the Space Surveillance Network, improving the U.S. Space Force’s understanding of activities within geosynchronous orbit above the Indo-Pacific. Geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles up, is where a satellite matches Earth’s rotation and remains over the same spot.

Combat Forces Command’s Mission Delta 2 will operate the sensor to identify and track objects in orbit and help operators understand potential threats or opportunities.

The Japanese QZS-7, built by Mitsubishi Electric in Kamakura, Japan, is part of a constellation that primarily augments GPS signals over Japan and the surrounding region.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory designed and built both U.S. payloads for the program. Space Force and laboratory teams worked with Japanese partners for two years to integrate and test the second sensor with its host satellite.

“The successful launch of QZS-7 is a powerful testament to the enduring strength and rapid modernization of the U.S.-Japan alliance,” Col. Bryon McClain, Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for Space Combat Power, said in the release.

“By continuing to merge our capabilities in space modernization and satellite communications, we are maintaining security in a contested space domain and fortifying our shared deterrence capabilities across the Indo-Pacific region,” he continued.

Col. Gina Peterson, deputy commander of Mission Delta 2, said the program helps the Space Force meet threats from peer adversaries and build “resilient capabilities to detect, understand, and maintain custody of objects in deep space.”

The first sensor launched in February 2025 on QZS-6. Mission Delta 2 runs both payloads through the Multi-Mission Space Operations Center/Enterprise Command and Control-Schriever enclave in Colorado.

The U.S.-Japan partnership on this program began with a December 2020 agreement between the Space Force and Japan’s National Space Policy Secretariat.

Brig. Gen. Brian Denaro, commander of U.S. Space Forces Pacific, called the alliance one of the nation’s greatest strategic advantages in the Pacific and said the program demonstrates how the two countries enhance security across the region through collaboration from design through launch.

Destinus, MBDA, Safran, Airbus and Thales signed a letter of intent in Paris on Tuesday to set up the Bliksem EXO consortium, with the intention of entering a binding agreement within three months and starting joint engineering work in August, the companies said in a joint statement.

As Russia has stepped up ballistic missile output, Europe lacks its own system to intercept medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles mid-course, before re-entry vehicles enter the atmosphere. The continent currently relies on two United States-operated Aegis Ashore sites that use the SM-3 interceptor for exo-atmospheric defense, while Germany is buying Israel’s Arrow-3 system.

“Europe has strong lower-layer missile defenses, but it still lacks a sovereign European upper layer against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles,” Destinus CEO Mikhail Kokorich said in the statement. “Bliksem EXO is designed to close that gap through direct hit-to-kill interception above the atmosphere.”

The letter of intent was signed at the inaugural meeting of an anti-ballistic coalition announced this week, with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten present.

Bliksem EXO is intended to defeat ballistic threats, including systems in the class of Russia’s intermediate-range Oreshnik with separating and maneuvering re-entry vehicles, the companies said. The interceptor system will be designed to detect, track and defeat MRBM and IRBM threats though a kinetic hit-to-kill impact, without an explosive warhead.

Destinus will serve as the consortium lead, responsible for the system integration and the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle, the companies said. The Netherlands-based startup currently develops unmanned systems, including the Ruta Block 2 cruise missile, as well as turbojet engines.

MBDA Deutschland will handle the interceptor booster, launcher and canister; Safran Electronics & Defense will provide the kill vehicle seeker and guidance, navigation and control; Airbus Defence and Space will work on command-and-control and battle management; and Thales will be in charge of the radar and sensor chain, from early warning to fire control, according to the statement.

The new interceptor system will complement existing and planned European lower-layer defenses, rather than compete with them, as it will operate above terminal and theater-level systems as part of a layered European missile defense, the firms said.

The program will be designed for full interoperability with NATO’s integrated air and missile defense and strengthen the European Sky Shield Initiative “by addressing the currently missing upper layer,” according to the companies. Germany has previously proposed Arrow-3 as the exo-atmospheric component of ESSI.

System design, testing and evaluation will draw on Ukraine’s experience in countering massed air and missile attacks, the firms said.

“I’m really pleased to announce that eight allies are launching a project to explore the development of a mega-constellation called HALO, opening a new chapter in allied space operations,” said Radmila Šekerinska, the NATO deputy secretary-general.

HALO — Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space — will focus on improving connectivity and integration of sovereign, nationally owned and controlled military satellites into a networked constellation.

Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey are part of the effort. It aims to improve alliance resilience and military advantage in space, enabling high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking.

Individual satellite constellations run independently by member countries are vulnerable to cyberattacks, jamming or physical destruction, while also being too slow to relay large amounts of data, Šekerinska said.

“So this new model will be particularly helpful for high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking, overcoming the cost, the time and coverage limitations of single-nation satellite fleets,” she added.

Meanwhile, at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, several nations declared their contributions to the space domain. Canada became the 15th member of NATO’s STARLIFT multinational initiative, which explores ways to develop a network of launch capabilities that will help allies launch assets on short notice from spaceports across the alliance.

Spain became the 19th country to join NATO’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space initiative. Madrid will contribute by increasing coastal surveillance through imagery from its “Atlantic Constellation” satellites.

Turkey announced plans for the development of two additional high-resolution satellites to complement space capabilities in the region.

ICEYE is currently manufacturing satellites at a pace of 50 per year, Modrzewski said at the European Defence & Security Summit in the Belgian capital, and the goal is to ramp up production to two satellites a week as the company responds to surging demand from European militaries.

The CEO said future constellations will be “in the hundreds of satellites,” pointing to the example of Elon Musk’s Starlink with its thousands of satellites. He said ICEYE’s planned manufacturing line for 100 satellites a year “is still too small, so we will keep on growing that production.”

European governments are trying to reduce their dependency on the United States for a number of critical defense enablers, including satellite intelligence, and ICEYE has benefited from efforts to close the gap. The company has said the U.S. halt of intelligence sharing in March 2025 really drove home the need in Europe for sovereign access to space-based intel.

The ICEYE CEO said Germany’s order for a 40-satellite constellation in December was “the first-ever European move to actually create a properly large tactical system in Europe.”

The company was founded in 2014 by Modrzewski and Pekka Laurila as a Finnish university spin-off, and it supplies Earth-observation data using synthetic aperture radar, or SAR for short, which ICEYE initially intended as a tool to help ships avoid sea ice.

ICEYE took less than 12 months from contract signature to deliver full radar-satellite systems to Poland, Greece and Portugal, according to Modrzewski, calling that a big change in an industry where one satellite used to take five years.

“Here we are talking about three different countries, each of which has received a constellation of five, six, seven within less than 12 months,” the CEO said. “Those are off-the-shelf satellites, that’s how crazy it got right now. And it is what we need in order to be responsive to the threats that are outside of our borders.”

Modrzewski said the cost of an ICEYE system is ten times lower than that of legacy systems, allowing the likes of Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands to own not just satellites but entire constellations.

He said ICEYE has delivered a four-satellite system to the Polish Armed Forces, adding that the country is continuing to grow its constellation, “and soon they will have high tactical capability which is fully sovereign to Poland.” The Finnish company signed an agreement in May 2025 to provide Poland with three SAR satellites, with an option for three more.

Modrzewski has been pushing a proposal for a system of 1,000 satellites called Constellation Europe that would combine space-based ground observation, space situational awareness and in-space defense capabilities. He said access to space-based surveillance to “know, react or act” has been a common thread in recent conflicts, and a capability that Europe is still missing.

“The war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, they differ in many ways, but they actually are extremely similar in the fact that the tactical access to satellite intelligence has proven to be critical for both sides,” Modrzewski said.

With a growing number of countries such as India, Japan and Australia trying to move away from a purely U.S.-based supply chain, there is “a massive opportunity for our European defense sector” as long as European firms can show credibility in their home markets, according to Modrzewski.

He said Constellation Europe would be a way for the European space industry to show it produces “capabilities which are equal or better to our counterparts,” and is happy share those capabilities to contribute to a “bigger, safer world” of middle powers.

He said Europe was previously able to jointly procured a satellite-navigation system with Galileo, and now needs to do the same for Earth observation.

“if we really want to catch up to this massive gap that’s developing between us and the United States, when it comes to space, we’ve got to start moving fast and acting now,” the ICEYE CEO said.

ICEYE raised €450 million (US$510 million) in a Series F funding round earlier this month that valued the satellite company at more than €10 billion, with the firm saying it will use the proceeds to expand its global footprint.

While the latest funding round was led by a U.S. investment firm, Modrzewski said the majority of the ICEYE board is European, the company’s technology was developed in Europe and being a European firm “is critical.”

“Them choosing to put money into European company actually is a statement of the fact that they see something more unique over here,” Modrzewski said. “So I consider this a win.”

The astronaut will be part of a four-man crew that will tackle a host of difficult tests within Earth’s orbit in preparation for NASA’s 2028 Artemis IV flight, which will be the first crewed mission to the moon’s South Pole.

Rubio’s mission is slated to serve as a proving ground for future lunar landings, as the team will evaluate how the spacecraft navigates toward and docks with commercial landing systems developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.

“My Army training has been an integral part of the experiences that have enabled me to be ready for this mission,” Rubio, a former Black Hawk pilot-turned-flight surgeon, said in a Tuesday statement released by the Army.

“Serving taught me to lead under pressure, how to stay calm when the stakes are highest, and how to put the mission and the people beside you above yourself,” he added.

Rubio’s selection as a mission specialist for Artemis III comes after a record-setting 371-day mission aboard the International Space Station from September 2022 to September 2023, where he set the American record for the longest single spaceflight. The unexpected yearlong mission saw Rubio complete 5,963 orbits around Earth, travel over 157 million miles and complete three spacewalks that amounted to 21 hours and 24 minutes in total.

His previous journey was only meant to last six months, but a spacecraft coolant leak prolonged the mission.

Before he began eschewing gravity in pursuit of outer space, Rubio served nearly 20 years as an aviator and then physician. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1998 and logged over flight 1,100 hours — more than 600 in combat during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq — before beginning medical school and training as a family physician and flight surgeon.

At the time of Rubio’s NASA selection, he was a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Colorado.

Rubio is one of three Artemis III crew members with military backgrounds. Andre Douglas, who will serve as a mission specialist during the flight, graduated from the Coast Guard Academy before serving as a guardsman. Randy Bresnik, the crew’s commander, retired as a colonel in the Marine Corps.

Bob Hines, who was selected as backup crew member, is a colonel in the Air Force.

Nineteen Army astronauts have taken part in NASA’s space missions, but Rubio and Col. Anne McClain are the Army’s only active duty astronauts, according to the service. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph Bailey, also on active duty, is an astronaut candidate and began his initial training in September 2025.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, announced at a press conference in Berlin that Germany is developing a European Space Component Command alongside a Weltraumakademie − a multilateral space training academy − and insisted that partner nations will be “embedded in the design phase” rather than presented with finished structures.

The meeting, billed as the first “DACH+L” format, expanding the traditional German-Austrian-Swiss defense dialogue to include Luxembourg, served as a platform for Pistorius to demonstrate traction on Germany’s €35 billion ($40.7 billion) military space investment pledged last fall. That program spans encrypted low-earth-orbit satellite constellations, military-grade launch capacity, and an expanded Space Command within the Bundeswehr.

Austria’s Defense Minister Claudia Tanner reaffirmed that Austria plans to put three operationally designated military satellites plus a test object into orbit next year, developed partly with Austrian startups. The program centers on two projects: LEO2VLEO, a joint initiative with the Netherlands covering imaging and navigation in very low Earth orbit, and BEACONSAT, an Austrian navigation satellite built for under €1 million ($1.16 million). Tanner said the satellites would be made available to partners and framed the push as essential for communications independence in a crisis.

Austria is neutral by constitution, though some have questioned how its deepening defense ties with European neighbors can be squared with this tradition and legal requirement.

Luxembourg’s Defense Minister Yuriko Backes, attending a DACH meeting for the first time, pointed to her country’s niche: established SATcom and Earth observation expertise that Luxembourg is “very willing to make available to allies and partners.” She and Tanner both referenced a forthcoming cooperation deal between the two countries on satellite use in July, without elaborating.

Swiss Federal Councilor Martin Pfister noted that there is no domain where Europe faces a greater dependency on non-European technology providers than in the space domain. “It is not possible for one country to solve this alone,” he said, though he called out Swiss state-owned company Beyond Gravity as a potential industrial contributor to a European solution.

Switzerland, too, has bent the limits of its longstanding neutrality to deepen its integration into European defense projects since the war in Ukraine. The joint accession of both Austria and Switzerland to the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative in 2023 was a prime example of this new thinking.

The latest moves signal a further deepening of these Central European defense ties. The conference alone was a remarkable signal, expanding the more established German-Austrian-Swsiss DACH format to Luxembourg as a fourth member.

What Monday’s meeting produced in concrete terms was modest: a reaffirmation of existing cooperation threads, a cyber exercise result − Luxembourg, together with the three other German-speaking countries, placed second at NATO’s Locked Shields event under German leadership in April − and political momentum behind space initiatives that remain largely conceptual. But the message was still clear: German-speaking Europe is serious about wanting to become a player in space, and the push for independence from the U.S. has gained additional momentum.

The proposal, called Project Able Baker, would solve two problems, the Air Force said. First, the new Sea-Based Recovery Stations would offer a cheaper way of retrieving reusable heavy-lift rockets so they can be launched again. And, it would provide a new purpose and refurbishment for decommissioned oil platforms before they become environmental hazards.

“This approach aims to provide the U.S. Space Force and its commercial partners with a distributed network of recovery sites that enhance launch cadence, reduce sonic-boom exposure, and leverage existing maritime infrastructure to lower operational costs,” according to an Air Force solicitation posted through the Small Business Innovation Research program.

The Air Force sees these old oil platforms as an alternative to using ships to recover rockets — a method used by companies like SpaceX. One benefit would be “reducing dependence on expensive, custom-built drone ships and facilitating higher launch frequencies,” the solicitation says.

To accomplish this, old oil rigs must be strengthened to handle the “specific plume, vibration, and high-intensity point-load dynamics” of modern rockets, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan and Blue Origin’s New Glenn, the Air Force said. The rockets are capable of sending heavy equipment into orbit.

Other desired features of the offshore oil platforms include “passive/active flame deflection, remote fire suppression systems, and precision navigation aids for autonomous landing guidance.”

In addition, these platforms should have “integrated barge or Vertical Takeoff and Landing systems to move boosters from the landing pad to transit vessels.”

The first phase of the solicitation calls for companies to establish the technical and economic feasibility of the concept. The focus is on “structural load analysis, environmental impact assessment, and the development of a regulatory roadmap for operations in federal waters.”

Companies may also be asked to identify at least three offshore platforms that can handle heavy-lift rockets.

Part of the assessment process should include the impact of sonic booms on nearby shipping and coastal populations, as well as the impact on the local ecosystem, the Air Force said. The platforms must align with the federal government’s Rigs to Reefs initiative to turn decommissioned oil rigs into aquatic habitats.

The second phase would involve fabricating and installing “a modular reinforcement kit on a representative deck section of an offshore structure to validate construction techniques and material resilience,” said the SBIR. Testing would use “inert-mass drops (10—25 tons) or static-fire simulations —to capture high-fidelity strain, vibro-acoustic, and plume-interaction data.”

The Project Able Baker SBIR has an unusually detailed list of potential dual-use benefits for the government and commercial sectors.

With the number of space launches and orbital satellites soaring in recent years, the Air Force envisions a series of converted oil platforms that can ease the strain on land-based sites to speed up the entire launch and recovery process.

“By repurposing legacy offshore assets, the system provides a strategic alternative to traditional coastal launch-landing operations, significantly increasing launch cadence while reducing acoustic and debris risks,” the SBIR said.

It would also enable Tactically Responsive Space capabilities “in deep-sea or high-latitude environments, critical for responsive space access.”

China is already building offshore platforms to recover heavy rockets.

Perhaps anticipating scrutiny from environmentalists, the Air Force emphasizes that the Sea-Based Recovery Station concept is an “environmentally conscious solution.”

There are “hundreds of offshore oil and gas platforms in federally controlled waters are reaching the end of their operational lifecycle,” the Air Force said. “Traditional decommissioning and full-removal processes are capital-intensive, costing upwards of $1.6 billion per platform, and often cause significant disruption to established marine ecosystems.”

“The Space Force will require significant additional manpower and specialized expertise to generate Space Control forces able to conduct sustained operations at a global scale,” the plan says.

For example, the Space Domain Awareness mission “will demand additional analysts, operators, and engineering support with a projected growth of approximately 30% in personnel.”

The Space Force currently has around 15,000 military and civilian personnel.

The Space Force also anticipates operating — and tracking — many more satellites. The Future Operating Environment report released alongside the Objective Force plan predicts the number of satellites in orbit will more than quintuple from around 12,000 today to 60,000 in 2040.

The U.S. satellite fleet will grow from about 7,000 to 30,000, while China’s satellites will soar from 1,900 to 21,000. To keep up, the Space Force must rely on commercial space companies, the report says.

The “Spacelift and Launch Range Control Objective Force will implement the ‘Spaceport of the Future’ concept for distributed, resilient, and hybrid architecture that is commercially integrated by design,” the plan said. “Supplementing the federal spaceports, the Space Force will build a competitive marketplace in which every launch site and provider becomes a networked node in a robust, adaptive national space access enterprise.”

The Objective Force plan also suggests the Space Force develop a more sophisticated approach to offensive and defensive space warfare than merely weakening — and being weakened by — the enemy.

“By 2040, the Space Force will move beyond near-term attrition-based methods to a mature warfighting approach centered on campaigning, maneuver, and reconstitution that preserves strategic advantage without driving unnecessary escalation,” the plan states.

In turn, this will require integrated formations that combine orbital warfare, electromagnetic warfare and cyberspace warfare with the “intelligence, command and control, and battle management capacity required to fight in contested conditions.”

The Space Force will also to tackle new missions, especially assisting the kill chain with space-based sensing and targeting, as well as moving target indication to track air, ground and sea objects in real time.

“Historically, the Space Force’s Joint contribution for sensing was predominantly environmental monitoring” and providing weather data, the Objective Force plan noted.

“The SB-MTI mission will “require establishing a new Delta [mission set] along with dedicated Squadrons for the Air and Ground/Maritime capabilities. SB-MTI Guardians will need training in DAF [Air Force] and Joint fires operations, and Service Components will need to expand to support Combatant Command tasking and integration into battle management and intelligence.”

By 2035, the Space Force will be operating second- and third-generation SB-MTI systems. “Until then, the Space Force must prioritize adaptability and force presentation,” the Objective Force plan said. “For the first time, Guardians will operate MTI systems that directly enable lethal fires in all domains, and the Space Force must accomplish sufficient work to ensure their readiness and integration into the Joint Force.”

The Space Force also wants enhanced capabilities in other missions, including cyberwarfare, satellite communications, command and control, and position, navigation and timing. It foresees a future of kinetic and non-kinetic warfare where nations “convert dual-use platforms into weapons of opportunistic denial.”

Combatants will use methods such as “dense, self-healing webs of satellites, drifting high-altitude stratospheric relays, drones, and cyber agents that operate through, re-route, and overwhelm single points of failure.”

The Objective Force plan also grapples with one of the Space Force’s biggest challenges: How do you train for a type of warfare that has never before been waged in human history? Its answer is to call for big investments into simulators for various missions, such as training missile warning personnel to identify threats.

“No assessment is more definitive than combat experience,” the Space Force said. “In the absence of that, the Service is working to field live, virtual, and constructive training environments. Even so, a campaign of learning should assess whether or not this is sufficient and, more importantly, how to supplement and adapt those environments in response to new learning.”

A global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network affecting millions of Starlink users had left two dozen unmanned surface vessels bobbing off the California coast, disrupting communications and halting operations for almost an hour.

The incident, which involved drones intended to bolster U.S. military options in a conflict with China, was one of several Navy test disruptions linked to SpaceX’s Starlink that left operators unable to connect with autonomous boats, according to internal Navy documents reviewed by Reuters and a person familiar with the matter.

As SpaceX rockets toward a $2 trillion public offering this summer – expected to be the largest ever – the company has secured its position as the world’s most valuable space company in part by being indispensable to the U.S. government with an array of technologies spanning satellite communications to space launches and military AI.

Starlink, in particular, has proved key to crucial programs - from drones to missile tracking - with a low-earth orbit constellation of close to 10,000 satellites, a scale that provides the military with a network resilient against potential adversary attacks.

But the Navy’s mishaps with Starlink for its autonomous drone program, which have not been previously reported, highlight the challenges of the U.S. military’s growing reliance on SpaceX and the risks it brings to the Pentagon.

“If there was no Starlink, the U.S. government wouldn’t have access to a global constellation of low earth orbit communications,” said Clayton Swope, a deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Pentagon did not respond to questions about the drone test or SpaceX’s work with the Navy. The Pentagon’s chief information officer, Kirsten Davies, said the “Department leverages multiple, robust, resilient systems for its broad network.”

The Navy and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite facing growing competition from Amazon.com, which announced an $11.6 billion agreement this week to acquire satellite maker Globalstar, SpaceX remains far ahead in low-earth orbit communications.

Beyond drones, SpaceX has cemented a near-monopoly for space launches and provides satellite communications with Starlink and its national security-focused constellation, Starshield, generating billions of dollars for the company.

Last month, U.S. Space Force said it had reassigned its upcoming GPS launch to a SpaceX rocket for the fourth time, due to a glitch in the Vulcan rocket made by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance.

WARNINGS ABOUT RELYING ON SPACEX

Democratic lawmakers have warned the Pentagon about the risks of its reliance on a single company led by the world’s richest man to deliver crucial national security capabilities. More recently, the Defense Department’s disagreements and blacklisting of AI startup Anthropic quickly revealed how an over-reliance on one AI vendor could create problems should that vendor be dropped.

Reuters reported last year that Musk unexpectedly switched off Starlink access to Ukrainian troops as they sought to retake territory from Russia, denting allies’ trust in the billionaire.

In Taiwan, SpaceX faced criticism over concerns it was withholding satellite communications to U.S. service members based there, “possibly in breach of SpaceX’s contractual obligations with the U.S. government,” according to a 2024 letter sent by then-U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher to Musk, reported by Forbes at the time. SpaceX disputed the claim in a post on X.

Reuters could not determine whether SpaceX has since provided Starlink service in Taiwan to U.S. service members. The Pentagon and SpaceX did not respond to questions about Taiwan.

“As a matter of operational security, we do not comment on or discuss plans, operations capabilities or effects,” an official said in a statement.

STARLINK ‘EXPOSED LIMITATIONS’

SpaceX’s Starlink broadband has been crucial to the Pentagon’s drone program, providing connection to small unmanned maritime vessels that look like speedboats without seats, and include those made by Maryland-based BlackSea and Austin, Texas-based Saronic.

In April 2025, during a series of Navy tests in California involving unmanned boats and flying drones, officials reported that Starlink struggled to provide a solid network connection due to the high data usage needed to control multiple systems, according to a Navy safety report of the tests reviewed by Reuters.

“Starlink reliance exposed limitations under multiple-vehicle load,” the report stated. The report also faulted issues linked to radios provided by Silvus and a network system provided by Viasat.

In the weeks leading up to the global Starlink outage in August, another series of Navy tests was disrupted by intermittent connection issues with the Starlink network, Navy documents reviewed by Reuters show. The causes of the network losses were not immediately clear.

Despite the setbacks, the upside of Starlink – a cheap and commercially available service – outweighs the risk of a potential outage disrupting future military operations, said Bryan Clark, an autonomous warfare expert at the Hudson Institute.

“You accept those vulnerabilities because of the benefits you get from the ubiquity it provides,” he said.

The command plans to break ground on a new headquarters facility on an approximately 60-acre site near the center of Redstone Arsenal in 2027, according to the City of Huntsville. The facility is scheduled for completion around 2031, with an additional year for personnel move-in.

“To guarantee uninterrupted command and control throughout the transition, USSPACECOM will phase the relocation of personnel and missions to Redstone Arsenal and operate from interim facilities while a dedicated, purpose-built warfighting platform, designed to meet the demands of USSPACECOM’s mission needs is constructed,” Whiting said in his March 17, 2026, prepared posture statement.

“I’m very happy that we’re able to take advantage of the MILCON reform language that the Committee inserted into the last National Defense Authorization Act, which is allowing us to build our new headquarters in a different way than we would have last year without that language,” Whiting said during the March 26 hearing.

A ribbon-cutting for a new Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) at Redstone Arsenal, with capacity for more than 80 people, is scheduled for April. Whiting said interim facilities at Redstone Arsenal are being renovated and upgraded.

Whiting noted the number of personnel at Redstone is expected to grow to nearly 200 by the end of 2026. He added that he and Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink will “memorialize” a decision on the military construction agent “in the very near future” after discussions with Air Force and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials.

The relocation involves approximately 1,400 positions out of the command’s roughly 1,700 military and civilian personnel. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., has said that about 50% of headquarters personnel are expected to be in Alabama by the end of 2028.

The command is offering relocation bonuses paid over several years and coverage of moving expenses for civilians who relocate to Huntsville. A retention bonus has been implemented for headquarters staff civilians remaining in Colorado Springs until their functions relocate, according to a U.S. Space Command spokesperson.

“I need my workforce to stay with me in Colorado until their function is ready to move,” Whiting said. The command has described continuity, the care of personnel and families, and preserving warfighting culture as priorities during the relocation.

In January, Whiting appointed Maj. Gen. Terry L. Grisham, an Alabama native with nearly 40 years of military and civilian service, to lead the transition as director of the Program Management Office at Redstone Arsenal.

“Terry’s nearly 40 years of expertise is informed by both his military service in the Alabama National Guard and civil service with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command,” Whiting said in the January announcement.

“This experience — paired with his deep ties to the surrounding community — will prove invaluable as he leads our efforts on Redstone Arsenal to expeditiously relocate our warfighting organization while ensuring that the perspectives of both our military and civilian workforce are clearly represented,” he concluded.

The relocation follows President Donald Trump’s September 2025 designation of Redstone Arsenal as the headquarters location. Colorado has filed a lawsuit challenging the relocation; the Trump administration has sought its dismissal.

Space Systems Command announced Sunday that System Delta 84, working with prime contractor BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems, achieved the milestone nine months after the contract award. The critical design review is scheduled for this summer.

Space Systems Command awarded BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems a $1.2 billion firm-fixed-price other transaction authority contract for Epoch 2 in May 2025, the command said. First delivery is planned for fiscal year 2029, according to Space Systems Command.

“This milestone was achieved by a talented and dedicated team working in close collaboration,” 1st Lt. Sabrina Taylor, SYD 84 Epoch 2 chief systems engineer, said in a statement. “Using advanced digital tools allowed us to ensure the design is sound and ready for the next phase. … Collectively, we are demonstrating we can move quickly while maintaining technical excellence.”

Epoch 2 follows Epoch 1, a 12-satellite constellation being built by Millennium Space Systems, according to SpaceNews. The program is designed to provide persistent tracking of advanced missile threats.

“Our team is delivering to outpace the threat,” Lt. Col. Brandon Castillo, SYD 84 Epoch 2 system program manager, said in a statement. “This expanded constellation will provide the global coverage needed to protect our Nation, service members, Allies, and partners from the most advanced missiles.”

Within weeks of each other, the two largest U.S. commercial space companies abruptly shifted their priorities toward lunar development. The moves came as the Department of Defense accelerates plans for a next-generation missile shield known as the Golden Dome, raising questions about whether America’s return to the moon is as much about defense as it is exploration.

In early February, SpaceX announced it would redirect plans for a future city on Mars to establishing one on the moon. The reversal was striking, as Musk previously insisted Mars was the only meaningful destination.

Just days prior to this announcement, Blue Origin quietly paused its New Shepard tourism program for at least two years to increase focus on lunar development, framing the move as part of the nation’s goal of returning to the moon.

However, the timing may suggest a more strategic approach.

In December 2025, the White House issued an executive order calling for a missile shield prototype by 2028, critical for the Golden Dome initiative.

This order also set a timeline for an American lunar return by 2028, with elements of a permanent moon presence targeted for 2030.

Defense officials, such as Space Force Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Shawn Bratton, have emphasized that commercial partnerships will be essential to achieving these goals.

SpaceX is reportedly in line for a $2 billion Pentagon contract to build a 600-satellite constellation supporting Golden Dome tracking and targeting, though the award has not been formally confirmed.

The project would rely on low Earth orbit satellites capable of rapid, near-real-time missile detection. Such systems improve coverage, but remain vulnerable to anti-satellite attacks from adversaries.

The company’s shift to the moon could change that equation. Lunar-based infrastructure would sit far beyond the reach of most anti-satellite capabilities, offering more resilient communications and sensing layers.

In this scenario, the moon could become a strategic “high ground,” which could offer the Pentagon a more durable and far-reaching view for missile detection and surveillance.

Just 15 days before Blue Origin announced its shift toward the moon, the Missile Defense Agency added the company to its $151 billion SHIELD contract, a Pentagon program allowing firms to compete for Golden Dome-related work.

While no specific awards are guaranteed, the timing is noteworthy. Blue Origin is now putting lunar logistics front and center, pausing the New Shepard program to focus resources on that effort.

The company’s Blue Ring vehicle is designed for orbital maneuvering and refueling, capabilities that could one day support sensor deployment and flexible positioning beyond Earth’s orbit, where they are less vulnerable to attack and can provide broader global coverage.

Meanwhile, its Blue Moon MK1 and MK2 landers can deliver multi-ton payloads to the lunar surface, which could be enough to deploy communications systems, sensors or other infrastructure to remote locations, potentially supporting Golden Dome-like operations.

Taken together, these developments could suggest a broader transformation in the strategic landscape of space, one that increasingly intersects with homeland defense and global security.

The Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaissance project — also referred to as “Ghost Recon” (as in the Tom Clancy novels and video games) — is intended to address a vulnerability in America’s space-monitoring capabilities.

The problem is that DOD “lacks sufficient satellites capable of providing high-resolution space-to-space imagery and maintaining custody of both friendly and adversarial satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO),” according to the solicitation.

Hence, the Pentagon is looking for commercial satellites that can be launched within two years after the contract begins. Within three years, those satellites would become government owned and operated. Within four years, they will have to demonstrate the ability to “perform at least one drive-by (Sub or Super Sync) or an inclined track design reference mission (DRM) per week through the first year of government operations,” the solicitation states.

The goal is relatively inexpensive and scalable designs, including space vehicles, satellite buses and payloads that offer “high-resolution space-to-space imagery and accurate object characterization,” DIU said.

“These systems must reduce costs compared to existing and planned programs of record while achieving high-resolution image collection, allowing for increased collection frequency and detailed characterization of resident space objects (RSOs) in GEO. The successful deployment of these capabilities will significantly improve GEO RSO Characterization, Battle Damage Assessment (BDA), Positive Identification (PID), and Combat Identification (CID),” the solicitation notes.

DIU envisions a spacecraft that can move close to other satellites. The result would be “fully resolved imagery of an ESPA Grande-sized spacecraft and its key subsystems (i.e. star tracker, communications payload, mission payload) from a distance of no closer than 10 kilometers,” according to the solicitation. Ghost Recon satellites would also need to maneuver above or below GEO altitude to maximize solar lighting of the target.

Interestingly, DIU suggests satellites from other nations may be less than cooperative when it comes to having their picture taken, such as moving away from American space vehicles. The solicitation cites the possibility of using “several [space vehicles] to support collection of tasked RSO, [which are] used to support collection for uncooperative RSOs.”

While Ghost Recon satellites would mainly track space objects that have already been detected, they may have to search for targets themselves, including “detection and localization of untracked or non-cooperative RSOs,” according to the solicitation.

Contractors are asked to detail the capabilities of their designs, including the cost for a Ghost Recon satellite to revisit another space object every 30 days for 10 years. Companies must also specify slew rate, mission payload angular resolution and modular transfer function.

Minimum requirements include the ability to “successfully perform rendezvous and proximity operations,” according to the solicitation. Satellites must also be capable of operating for at least three years in GEO, meet National Security Space Launch medium and large standards for launch integration, and use Unified S-Band protocols.

Though DIU wants affordable spacecraft that can be deployed within two years, the solution mentions the possibility of refueling these platforms “to extend spacecraft lifespan, increase maneuverability for follow-on missions, and reduce replacement cadence.”

The project deadline is March 3.

Col. Corey Klopstein, program executive officer for Operational Test and Training Infrastructure and commander of System Delta 81, described the program’s focus on realism and readiness during a media roundtable at Space Industry Days in Los Angeles, California, on Friday.

SWORD, the Space Force’s primary synthetic training environment, is a cloud-enabled, digital simulation platform designed to replicate contested space operations, including orbital dynamics, electronic warfare, cyber effects and adversary tactics. It allows guardians to train in realistic scenarios without relying solely on live, on-orbit assets or centralized facilities.

The platform has been demonstrated in large-scale exercises like Space Flag, supporting hundreds of guardians in realistic training, and is being scaled for broader enterprise use.

Klopstein stressed that SWORD is being developed to deliver the highest possible realism and adaptability.

“Our intent is to develop SWORD and make it as realistic as possible and increase the fidelity as we work closely with our users to understand what they need … and increase that work with our contractors to increase the fidelity of SWORD,” he told reporters.

That realism is achieved through rigorous validation. Digital models in the SWORD training environment are continuously being updated and refined by cross-checking against hardware-in-the-loop facilities (integrating real components into simulated environments) and live on-orbit assets.

“It’s a constant back and forth in trying to increase the fidelity of your digital environment and make it as realistic as possible,” Klopstein said, stressing that the Space Force cannot rely on synthetic data alone.

Speed is equally critical. With adversary tactics evolving rapidly, Operational Test and Training Infrastructure is prioritizing rapid integration of new threats into SWORD.

Klopstein highlighted close coordination with intelligence elements and the National Space Intelligence Center to ensure timely updates to red threat emulations.

“We’re working closely with our S2 and the Field COM S2s, as well as NSIC, to get the latest information that we can and leverage that information to provide updates to any red threat emulations within SWORD … to ensure the greatest accuracy possible,” he said.

These efforts support a long-term vision of enterprise-wide access, transitioning SWORD to a cloud-based infrastructure so guardians can conduct realistic, distributed training from home stations rather than centralized facilities.

While current implementations are site-specific, Klopstein described the goal as creating “backyard ranges” so guardians can “train from their home station, using the synthetic environment as the source of the truth.”

The SWORD program is supported by 10-12-month agile acquisition cycles to close near-term training gaps, alongside a planned fiscal 2027 cloud pathfinder, as reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine and Breaking Defense.

On Dec. 29, 2025, SLD 30 issued a Request for Information to gauge interest from U.S. commercial launch providers in leasing and developing Space Launch Complex-14 at Vandenberg.

The RFI seeks to establish infrastructure for heavy and super-heavy vertical launch vehicles to address critical gaps in launch capabilities at Vandenberg. Current pads support medium and heavy vehicles, but the base lacks dedicated infrastructure for true heavy (20,000–50,000 kg. to low Earth orbit) or super-heavy (more than 50,000 kg.) programs.

If developed, SLC-14 would become the first dedicated super-heavy launch complex on the West Coast.

Qualified providers would finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the facilities, bearing all development and compliance costs in exchange for a fair-market-value lease.

According to the RFI, “A heavy/super-heavy launch capability at VSFB offers a strategic advantage to the USSF, the deployment of larger, more capable military satellites and facilitating rapid response missions during national security emergencies. Adding heavy/super-heavy launch capabilities at VSFB enhances resilience, diversifies the government’s portfolio, and accelerates satellite constellation reconstitution due to increased lift capacity.”

Located near the base’s southern boundary, SLC-14 is described as “the installation’s most viable site for large-scale heavy/super-heavy launch programs,” leveraging proximity to existing infrastructure.

The SLC-14 development directly supports the U.S. Space Force’s mission and “Race to Resilience” initiative by expanding assured access to space for national security, federal and commercial payloads, particularly in polar and sun-synchronous orbits. These orbits, ideally suited to Vandenberg’s location, enable global coverage for missile warning and intelligence satellites, as well as consistent lighting conditions for repeatable Earth observation and reconnaissance, advantages less readily available from East Coast launch sites.

Enabling heavy or super-heavy launch capabilities not currently available at Vandenberg enhances rapid satellite reconstitution, mission diversification and resilience against disruptions such as supply chain issues or operational anomalies.

This aligns with broader priorities for maintaining space superiority in increasingly contested domains. Diversifying launch sites and providers reduces single-point vulnerabilities in the national space launch infrastructure, allowing quicker recovery from adversarial actions or technical failures while facilitating proliferated constellations and hybrid military-commercial systems, key elements of resilient space operations outlined in recent doctrine.

Interested providers should submit responses by Feb. 12, 2026.

Recent assessments from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 annual report underscore the challenge ahead. According to the report, “China is aggressively positioning itself as a global leader in space technology and exploration, seeking to reshape international governance, influence standards, and displace the United States as the world’s premier space power.”

The report notes China’s operational satellite fleet exceeded 1,060 by mid-2025, with hundreds dedicated to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman has signaled U.S. resolve on this front. During the opening keynote at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium in March 2025, he made U.S. intentions clear to allies and adversaries alike, declaring, “The Space Force will do whatever it takes to achieve space superiority.”

The April 2025 release of “Space Warfighting: A Framework for Planners” codifies the service’s shift from primarily supportive roles to treating space as a contested warfighting domain, openly emphasizing offensive and defensive counter-space operations alongside traditional enabling capabilities.

In the document’s foreword, Saltzman writes that space superiority “unlocks superiority in other domains, fuels Coalition lethality, and fortifies troop survivability. It is therefore the basis from which the Joint Force projects power, deters aggression, and secures the homeland.”

‘Race to resilience’

Current core U.S. military space capabilities remain foundational but increasingly vulnerable.

Missile warning and tracking systems, such as the Space-Based Infrared System and emerging Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites, provide global detection of ballistic and hypersonic launches, often within seconds of ignition. This capability is supplemented by proliferated low-Earth orbit sensors, including the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 3 tracking layer, a $3.5 billion investment awarded in late 2025 for 72 new satellites planned for launch beginning in 2029.

Protected satellite communication and positioning, navigation and timing networks, including the jam-resistant Advanced Extremely High Frequency constellation and military GPS featuring enhanced anti-jam M-code, ensure resilient command and control in degraded environments.

Space domain awareness tools, such as the maneuverable Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites, operate in near-geosynchronous orbit to conduct close inspections of objects. Upgraded ground-based sensors, including the Ground-Based Optical Sensor System, track orbital objects and potential threats.

While robust, these systems are vulnerable to attacks such as signal jamming, sensor dazzling by directed-energy weapons and cyberattacks — reversible threats that U.S. officials report occur daily or near-daily. U.S. officials note that even temporary disruptions could significantly impair critical joint operations in wartime.

These challenges are driving the service’s “Race to Resilience” initiative, which aims to achieve battle-ready architectures by 2026. Several key milestones in the coming year will advance the Space Force’s readiness in these contested environments.

Boost-phase space-based interceptor prototypes, a proposed weapon system designed to destroy enemy ballistic missiles during the boost phase of their flight, were awarded under competitive contracts for the Golden Dome missile defense initiative in November 2025. Kinetic midcourse awards (hit-to-kill interceptors during the missile’s coasting phase) are expected in February 2026.

Speaking shortly after his appointment at the Space Foundation’s Innovate Space: Global Economic Summit in July 2025, program lead Gen. Michael Guetlein shared his optimism for the program, stating, “I firmly believe that the technology we need to deliver Golden Dome exists today,” highlighting the importance of integrated command and control.

The service will also finalize requirements for the Space Warfighter Operational Readiness Domain, a distributed digital training environment that builds on existing Space Flag exercises, enabling guardians across multiple locations to participate in virtual simulations of contested operations.

Four on-orbit servicing demonstrations are planned for 2026 to test satellite refueling, repair, inspection and maneuvering. These capabilities are essential for maintaining dynamic space operations, extending the lifespan of assets and enhancing resilience in these contested environments. These missions, funded by various DOD entities and commercial partners, mark a key step toward proving the viability of in-space logistics.

Additionally, the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve will transition from pilot phase to full-scale operations in 2026, targeting 20 contracts by year-end to provide wartime access to commercial satcom networks. This resiliency measure is backed by record fiscal 2026 funding approaching $40 billion, reflecting priorities for hybrid military-commercial architectures.

With threats intensifying, including China’s rapid satellite expansion and Russia’s disruptive capabilities, 2026 positions the Space Force to deliver resilient architectures that ensure U.S. space superiority, enabling joint forces to maintain the edge in any conflict or contested environment.

“The desired outcome is to develop and integrate high-G propulsion systems, advanced seekers, and low-SWaP [size, weight and power] interceptors integrated into space vehicles for … SBI [space-based interceptor] architectures that support fast detection-to-intercept timelines,” stated the SBIR solicitation, which opens Jan. 7 and closes Jan. 28.

Space-based interceptors are a key component of the Trump administration’s massive Golden Dome program for missile defense of the United States. Earlier this month, the Space Force released a Request for Proposal for space-based midcourse interceptors that would target missiles as they coast in space in between launch and reentering the atmosphere. Boost-phase interceptors seek to destroy missiles during their slower, more vulnerable ascent as the rockets gathers speed after launch.

The Space Force recently awarded a few small contracts for prototype space-based boost-phase interceptors. But the SBIR suggests that the service is also eager for research into advanced interceptors. The problem with existing antimissile interceptors is that they are too big and expensive, according to the SBIR.

“Current state-of-the-art interceptors demonstrate high performance but are significantly larger and not optimized for rapid deployment or distributed constellations,” the SBIR said. “Proposed solutions should demonstrate how comparable or greater performance can be achieved in a significantly smaller package.”

The Space Force envisions boost-phase interceptors that can hit missiles at an altitude of less than 120 kilometers, or about 75 miles or less, above the Earth’s surface. Intercept time should be less than 180 seconds.

Propulsion for the new interceptor should enable high thrust, plus rapid acceleration of at least 6 kilometers, or at least nearly 4 miles, per second.

“Desired characteristics include dual-pulse or throttleable motors, high-grain solid or hybrid propellants, and thrust vector control,” the SBIR specified.

Other features include fast shutdown and reignition of the rocket motors, and improved specific impulse for more efficient thrust.

The service also wants to increase the probability of a kill by fitting the interceptors with multiple sensors.

The interceptors should also be small, easy to manufacture at scale and capable of being fired from constellations of orbital launch platforms that would allow continuous coverage over specific terrestrial regions below. Because they will be descending rapidly from space into the atmosphere, they will also need strong thermal protection.

“Successful solutions will also consider survivability under extreme conditions experienced during atmospheric re-entry including the extreme temperatures from aero-thermal heating,” the Space Force noted.

These are formidable requirements, according to Patrycja Bazylczyk, associate director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

“Taking out a missile as it boosts is a tall order,” Bazylczyk told Defense News. “The compressed timeline for detection, tracking, decision-making and interception makes boost-phase defense one of the toughest technical challenges in missile defense.”

Nonetheless, Bazylczyk believes the concept is feasible.

“The technology for space-based intercept exists — the primary challenges are cost, the operational concept and the ability to scale,” she said. “Significant reductions in satellite launch expenses, coupled with advances in electronic miniaturization, have the potential to substantially lower the overall cost of fielding a constellation.”

Phase I of the project calls for companies to submit concepts, followed by Phase II prototypes. Phase III includes adapting the technology to support the other military services with missile defense or high-speed intercept needs.

In addition, the Space Force sees the project leading to “commercial applications for high-performance propulsion, compact sensor suites, or integrated aerospace systems in areas such as hypersonics testing, responsive launch, atmospheric sensing, or high-speed autonomous systems,” according to the SBIR.

The plan is to deploy a satellite fleet with interconnected communications for defense use by 2029, with Germany’s Hensoldt providing sensor technology and German startup Isar Aerospace the preferred launch parter. Kongsberg and Helsing signed their teaming agreement to speed up the roll out of critical European space capabilities, the companies said.

European leaders increasingly see their dependency on American space-based intelligence as a strategic liability, with the U.S. halt on data sharing with Ukraine earlier this year setting off alarm bells across the continent. Finland’s ICEYE has been one of the most visible beneficiaries, selling at least eight radar satellites this year to European countries seeking a sovereign space capability.

“Sovereign monitoring, intelligence, and targeting are fundamental to credible deterrence,” Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace President Eirik Lie said in the statement. “Communication, oversight and connectivity are key to operate defense assets effectively, and Europe needs full control over these capabilities.”

The cooperation is a response to Europe’s greater need for deterrence and addresses the strategic issue of space-based intelligence, Kongsberg and Helsing said, with the companies citing “key lessons from recent geopolitical events.”

Kongsberg wasn’t immediately able to answer questions on the required investment or how many satellites are planned for the constellation, which countries the partnership is targeting, or who would own the satellites.

The teaming agreement combines Kongsberg’s satellites with Helsing’s artificial-intelligence capabilities, pulling together synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical and radio-frequency data for satellite-image analysis, they said. The companies said they have operational experience in Ukraine, with Helsing AI algorithms used there as well as deployed in orbit for data analysis.

“The war in Ukraine demonstrates that most reliable targeting begins in space,” Helsing co-Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Gundbert Scherf said. “Together with Kongsberg, we will provide crucial integrated space defense systems to ensure Europe wins the fight for sovereignty.”

Hensoldt will provide SAR, electro-optical/infrared and electronic warfare sensors, while Kongsberg Satellite Services will contribute with its ground network to communicate with satellites.

The cooperation will include setting up local satellite production in Germany to create “a self-reliant European defense capability,” the companies said.

With Norway’s satellite expertise and Hensoldt’s sensors, “we can build a resilient space architecture that gives Europe the information advantage it needs,” Hensoldt Chief Executive Officer Oliver Dörre said. “Europe’s security depends on sovereign sensing and intelligence.”