U.S. military’s annual list of ‘unfunded priorities’ includes $1 billion for Space Force
WASHINGTON — Soon after the Pentagon’s budget request is submitted to Congress each year, the military services send to Capitol Hill a separate wish list known as “unfunded priorities.” These are items the military would like Congress to fund if lawmakers decide to add more money to the Pentagon’s proposed budget. Last week the military services and the Missile Defense [...]
Barrett outlines Air Force budget priorities, strategies for working with other services
Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett united Feb. 21 with secretaries from the other military services, pledging to work closely to fulfill the mandates of the National Defense Strategy as well as advancing new, capabilities for warfighting, joint operations and ensuring superiority in space.
Op-ed | NASA: Need Another Space Assignment?
Civil aviation is one of the premiere success stories of the 20th century. Airmail was authorized by the US government in 1911 and began scheduled service in 1918. The federal government then authorized private contractors to carry the mail in 1925. An aviation boom followed. With the establishment of passenger airline service — initiated by the Air Commerce Act of [...]
InSight to try to push mole into Martian surface
WASHINGTON — Engineers plan to use the robotic arm on its InSight Mars lander to push a heat flow probe into the surface, acknowledging that they have “few alternatives” if that effort fails. The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package instrument team has spent nearly a year trying to get the instrument’s probe, or “mole,” to burrow into the surface. [...]
AF Week in Photos
This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.
Geostationary satellite orders bouncing back
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 20, 2020 issue of SpaceNews magazine. Manufacturers are hopeful that 2019 marked the beginning of a turnaround for geostationary satellite orders, even though their market remains fraught with uncertainty. After booking just 14 orders in 2017 and 2018 combined, satellite manufacturers reported 2019 orders for 15 commercially competed geostationary communications spacecraft and two [...]
SpaceX revives plans for launch vehicle construction in Los Angeles
WASHINGTON — SpaceX has revived plans to develop a launch vehicle manufacturing facility at the Port of Los Angeles, a little more than a year after it abandoned its original agreement there. The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners approved on a voice vote Feb. 20 an agreement between the port and SpaceX to lease 12.5 acres of property at [...]
Airbus, citing weak space market, to cut more than 2,300 jobs
WASHINGTON — Airbus Defence and Space plans to shed about 7% of its workforce because of weak sales, Airbus Group said Feb. 19. The company said it will cut 2,362 positions, citing “lower performance in space” and as a key reason for the layoffs. Airbus Defence and Space builds satellites and rocket hardware, along with drones and military aircraft, but [...]
Intelsat to FCC: C-Band Alliance is dead, we deserve more money
WASHINGTON — Intelsat on Feb. 19 urged the FCC to give the company at least $1 billion more of $9.7 billion in proposed compensation for clearing C-band spectrum for 5G networks and to treat the C-Band Alliance Intelsat formed with rivals SES and Telesat as essentially dead. Intelsat said it has more C-band revenue, capacity use and satellite dishes in [...]
Op-Ed | Who should join the U.S. Space Force?
The creation of the U.S. Space Force is a historic event, but many years of hard work lie ahead before we know what form the new service will take. One unanswered question that will shape the new service is whether Army and Navy space capabilities and people should transfer to the Space Force which will be primarily made up of [...]
US Sailors, Marines Train Alongside Japanese Soldiers in Exercise Iron Fist
Dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor and amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland, along with U.S. Marines, welcomed aboard soldiers from Japanese Ground Self—Defense Force Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment in support of Exercise Iron Fist.
IKE Deploys Upon Completion of COMPTUEX
The Nimitz—class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and the ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group TEN (CSG—10), departed for deployment after successfully completing the Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX).
White House, NASA emphasize bipartisan support for lunar plans
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence said in a Feb. 19 speech that the administration’s budget proposal for NASA to support a human return to the moon by 2024 has bipartisan support, a claim echoed by NASA despite criticism about some proposed cuts in the bill. Pence, speaking at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, made no major announcements in [...]
U.S. Space Force rolls out plan to change how it buys satcom services
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force on Feb. 19 unveiled a plan to change how it acquires satellite-based communications for the Defense Department. The essence of the plan is to combine military and commercial satcom systems into a unified network. The satcom strategy titled, “United States Space Force Vision for Satellite Communications,” was approved by Chief of Space Operations of [...]
Spaceflight Industries says sale of rideshare business a “win-win” for all parties
WASHINGTON — Spaceflight Industries’ decision to sell its rideshare launch services company, Spaceflight, to two Japanese firms will benefit both Spaceflight and its parent company, executives of the two companies say. Spaceflight Industries announced Feb. 11 that it had an agreement to sell Spaceflight to Japanese companies Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Yamasa Co., Ltd., who will own it in [...]