Aaron Mehta

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.


  • US Space Providers See Trend Toward Services
    US Space Providers See Trend Toward Services

    With the military space business situation in flux, industry is scrambling to understand not just how to keep profits up, but to stave off an influx of new competitors.

  • Hyten Calls on Industry to Help Meet Launch Demand
    Hyten Calls on Industry to Help Meet Launch Demand

    The injection of competition into the US space launch market is bringing with it new infrastructure and planning challenges, according to the Air Force’s top space official.

  • SpaceX To Land Reusable Launcher on Ground
    SpaceX To Land Reusable Launcher on Ground

    SpaceX hopes that the next attempt to land its Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle will occur on solid ground.

  • SpaceX Begins Falcon Heavy Certification
    SpaceX Begins Falcon Heavy Certification

    SpaceX has submitted paperwork to the US Air Force to begin certification on its Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, the company’s president said Wednesday.

  • US Certifies Canadian JSpOC Chief
    US Certifies Canadian JSpOC Chief

    The US certified the first foreign Chief of Current Operations in its Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), a milestone that a top Air Force general said represents the growth of international cooperation on military space issues.

  • NGA: ‘Seismic Shift’ in Geospatial Intel
    NGA: ‘Seismic Shift’ in Geospatial Intel

    The world of geospatial intelligence is undergoing a “seismic shift,” the head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) said Tuesday — one that will require a growing reliance on unclassified sources of intelligence.

  • Lockheed Eyes May 2017 GPS 3 Launch
    Lockheed Eyes May 2017 GPS 3 Launch

    Lockheed Martin is targeting a May 2017 launch date for the first satellite in the US Air Force’s next-generation global positioning system constellation

  • ULA Unveils Vulcan Launch Vehicle
    ULA Unveils Vulcan Launch Vehicle

    The United Launch Alliance’s next generation launch vehicle will feature a reusable main engine and a redesigned second stage, the company announced Monday.

  • Interview: Deborah Lee James
    Interview: Deborah Lee James

    As this year’s National Space Symposium kicks off in Colorado Springs, Colorado, expect much of the focus to be on the ongoing fight for military space launch. With SpaceX expecting certification by June and legacy launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) preparing to unveil a new launch vehicle design, the competition between the two companies…

  • Interview: ULA’s Tory Bruno
    Interview: ULA’s Tory Bruno

    The United Launch Alliance president has plans for keeping his company competitive in the military space launch market.

  • US Space Providers See Trend Toward Services
    US Space Providers See Trend Toward Services

    With the military space business situation in flux, industry is scrambling to understand not just how to keep profits up, but to stave off an influx of new competitors.

  • Hyten Calls on Industry to Help Meet Launch Demand
    Hyten Calls on Industry to Help Meet Launch Demand

    The injection of competition into the US space launch market is bringing with it new infrastructure and planning challenges, according to the Air Force’s top space official.

  • SpaceX To Land Reusable Launcher on Ground
    SpaceX To Land Reusable Launcher on Ground

    SpaceX hopes that the next attempt to land its Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle will occur on solid ground.

  • SpaceX Begins Falcon Heavy Certification
    SpaceX Begins Falcon Heavy Certification

    SpaceX has submitted paperwork to the US Air Force to begin certification on its Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, the company’s president said Wednesday.

  • US Certifies Canadian JSpOC Chief
    US Certifies Canadian JSpOC Chief

    The US certified the first foreign Chief of Current Operations in its Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), a milestone that a top Air Force general said represents the growth of international cooperation on military space issues.

  • NGA: ‘Seismic Shift’ in Geospatial Intel
    NGA: ‘Seismic Shift’ in Geospatial Intel

    The world of geospatial intelligence is undergoing a “seismic shift,” the head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) said Tuesday — one that will require a growing reliance on unclassified sources of intelligence.

  • Lockheed Eyes May 2017 GPS 3 Launch
    Lockheed Eyes May 2017 GPS 3 Launch

    Lockheed Martin is targeting a May 2017 launch date for the first satellite in the US Air Force’s next-generation global positioning system constellation

  • ULA Unveils Vulcan Launch Vehicle
    ULA Unveils Vulcan Launch Vehicle

    The United Launch Alliance’s next generation launch vehicle will feature a reusable main engine and a redesigned second stage, the company announced Monday.

  • Interview: Deborah Lee James
    Interview: Deborah Lee James

    As this year’s National Space Symposium kicks off in Colorado Springs, Colorado, expect much of the focus to be on the ongoing fight for military space launch. With SpaceX expecting certification by June and legacy launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) preparing to unveil a new launch vehicle design, the competition between the two companies…

  • Interview: ULA’s Tory Bruno
    Interview: ULA’s Tory Bruno

    The United Launch Alliance president has plans for keeping his company competitive in the military space launch market.

  • US Space Providers See Trend Toward Services
    US Space Providers See Trend Toward Services

    With the military space business situation in flux, industry is scrambling to understand not just how to keep profits up, but to stave off an influx of new competitors.

  • Hyten Calls on Industry to Help Meet Launch Demand
    Hyten Calls on Industry to Help Meet Launch Demand

    The injection of competition into the US space launch market is bringing with it new infrastructure and planning challenges, according to the Air Force’s top space official.

  • SpaceX To Land Reusable Launcher on Ground
    SpaceX To Land Reusable Launcher on Ground

    SpaceX hopes that the next attempt to land its Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle will occur on solid ground.

  • SpaceX Begins Falcon Heavy Certification
    SpaceX Begins Falcon Heavy Certification

    SpaceX has submitted paperwork to the US Air Force to begin certification on its Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, the company’s president said Wednesday.

  • US Certifies Canadian JSpOC Chief
    US Certifies Canadian JSpOC Chief

    The US certified the first foreign Chief of Current Operations in its Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), a milestone that a top Air Force general said represents the growth of international cooperation on military space issues.

  • NGA: ‘Seismic Shift’ in Geospatial Intel
    NGA: ‘Seismic Shift’ in Geospatial Intel

    The world of geospatial intelligence is undergoing a “seismic shift,” the head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) said Tuesday — one that will require a growing reliance on unclassified sources of intelligence.

  • Lockheed Eyes May 2017 GPS 3 Launch
    Lockheed Eyes May 2017 GPS 3 Launch

    Lockheed Martin is targeting a May 2017 launch date for the first satellite in the US Air Force’s next-generation global positioning system constellation

  • ULA Unveils Vulcan Launch Vehicle
    ULA Unveils Vulcan Launch Vehicle

    The United Launch Alliance’s next generation launch vehicle will feature a reusable main engine and a redesigned second stage, the company announced Monday.

  • Interview: Deborah Lee James
    Interview: Deborah Lee James

    As this year’s National Space Symposium kicks off in Colorado Springs, Colorado, expect much of the focus to be on the ongoing fight for military space launch. With SpaceX expecting certification by June and legacy launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) preparing to unveil a new launch vehicle design, the competition between the two companies…

  • Interview: ULA’s Tory Bruno
    Interview: ULA’s Tory Bruno

    The United Launch Alliance president has plans for keeping his company competitive in the military space launch market.