US Space Force News and Discussions

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Space Force’s Secretive X-37B Is Returning to Space With New Tech
The spaceplane is gearing up for its eighth launch, set for August 21.

Just a few months after wrapping up its seventh test flight in orbit, Space Force’s experimental vehicle known as X-37B is ready for another go. For its upcoming mission, the spaceplane will test new technologies meant to bolster military capabilities in space, such as a navigational sensor that could replace GPS.

The U.S. Space Force is set to launch the Boeing-built orbital test vehicle, designated as OTV-8, on August 21 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. For flight number eight, X-37B will carry an unidentified number of payloads, including a laser communications technology demonstration and a quantum sensor for navigation in space, according to the Space Force.

https://gizmodo.com/space-forces-secret ... 2000636061

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SpaceX lands majority of U.S. national security launches awarded for fiscal year 2026
SpaceX was assigned five of seven National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 missions. United Launch Alliance got two.
by Sandra Erwin October 4, 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force assigned SpaceX five of seven national security missions budgeted in fiscal year 2026, continuing the company’s dominant streak in the Pentagon’s most critical launch program. United Launch Alliance (ULA) will fly the remaining two missions, while Blue Origin — whose New Glenn rocket is not yet certified — will have to wait until at least fiscal year 2027 for its first assignment, the Space Systems Command announced Oct. 3.

These awards mark the second round of launch assignments under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 contract, which covers the Space Force’s most demanding missions through fiscal year 2029.

SpaceX’s newly assigned missions include USSF-206, carrying the 12th Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) communications satellite built by Boeing, along with three classified Space Force payloads — USSF-155, USSF-149, and USSF-63 — plus NROL-86 for the National Reconnaissance Office. The five missions have a combined value of $714 million, according to Space Systems Command.

https://spacenews.com/spacex-lands-majo ... year-2026/

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Rocket Lab wins another defense-related space contract

Rocket Lab has won an $816 million contract — its largest to date — with the U.S. Space Development Agency as the company continues to diversify beyond its “rocket company” label.

The company said Friday that its subsidiary, Rocket Lab USA, was awarded a prime contract by the Space Development Agency (SDA) to design and manufacture 18 satellites. The satellites will be equipped with advanced missile warning, tracking, and defense sensors for the agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 program.

This contract is separate from an existing $515 million award to deliver satellites for the SDA’s Transport Layer-Beta Tranche 2 program. That program aims to provide a satellite communications network in low Earth orbit that sends encrypted, low-latency data to the military.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/19/rocke ... -contract/

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Rocket Lab Completes Department of War Mission Five Months Early
This is ultimately a showcase of Rocket Lab's flexibility and responsiveness.
By Jon Martindale December 22, 2025

Rocket Lab has successfully launched the STP-S30 mission for the US Space Force Space Systems Command using its well-established Electron rocket, and it's five months ahead of schedule. The aerospace firm suggests this represents its rapid responsiveness to new contracts and highlights that this is the fourth of its Department of War launches this year, all of which have gone off without a hitch.

"Rocket Lab’s speed, streamlined operations, and reliability were on full display with this flawless Electron launch for STP-S30, and we’re proud to be strengthening the nation’s space capabilities," said Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck. "We’re meeting the space access demands of the US Space Force with our consistent execution, and this launch is another proud moment in Rocket Lab’s long history of successful missions for defense, national security, and commercial space users."

https://www.extremetech.com/aerospace/r ... nths-early

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