Space Force

Space Force tees up new 'responsive space' mission from Rocket Lab and True Anomaly

Rocket Lab and True Anomaly will attempt to deliver and operate space hardware for the military under intentionally tight timeframes, as part of the Space Force’s push to solicit “tactically responsive” space capabilities from commercial companies. Each company will design and build a satellite capable of rendezvousing with other spacecraft in orbit at close proximity, as well as command and control centers for the mission. As part of Rocket Lab’s $32 million contract, it will also launch the satellite with its Electron rocket. True Anomaly will partner with an unnamed...

US exploring potential space force hotline with China

The United States Space Force has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman told Reuters on Monday.

The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the U.S. had not yet engaged with China to establish one.

Space Command stays in Colorado, infuriating Alabama delegation

The Biden administration will keep U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, reversing a Trump-era decision to move the headquarters to Alabama that has embroiled lawmakers and the White House in a yearslong debate over the command’s future.

President Joe Biden decided that moving the headquarters to Alabama would have impacted Space Command’s “operational readiness,” according to a senior administration official.

Can the Space Force repair its image and be taken seriously?

The Space Force is here to stay. President Biden is “not revisiting” the decision to establish America’s newest military branch, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday. The question of its existence has been settled, but the Space Force still faces major questions about its future now that Donald Trump — who aggressively lobbied Congress to create the new service — is no longer in office.

That Settles That: White House Is Keeping Space Force

The Space Force is here to stay.

The Biden administration has no plans to get rid of the military’s newest branch, championed by former President Trump and eventually approved by Congress.

“They absolutely have the full support of the Biden Administration,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday. “We are not revisiting the decision to establish the Space Force.”

Space Force selects ULA, SpaceX for major national security contracts

The U.S. Space Force has awarded United Launch Alliance and SpaceX hundreds of millions of dollars to fly national security payloads to space in the coming years.

Why it matters: The money provided by these competitive government contracts keeps space companies in business and flying to orbit regularly.

Details: ULA will receive the bulk of the funds, with $337 million going to the company for two missions expected to launch in 2022.

NASA reveals date to launch astronauts into space from US soil for first time in nearly a decade

NASA astronauts will launch into space from U.S. soil in May for the first time since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011.

The space agency announced Thursday that the date for the launch is set for May 27 in Florida. It will also mark the first time that a rocket used in a launch will be made by SpaceX, a private space company founded by Elon Musk.

Trump signs $1.4 trillion spending package, averting shutdown

President Trump on Friday signed two spending packages totaling $1.4 trillion, averting a government shutdown at midnight.

The bills included all 12 annual appropriations bills for the 2020 fiscal year that started Oct. 1. They also included a slew of tax cuts, extending expiring and expired tax breaks and eliminating other taxes that amount to an additional $426 billion in lost revenue, bringing the total cost of the bill to more than $1.8 trillion.

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