Sandra Erwin, Author at SpaceNews https://spacenews.com Covering the business and politics of space Sun, 09 Mar 2025 14:08:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-SN_forza_star-32x32.png Sandra Erwin, Author at SpaceNews https://spacenews.com 32 32 80681979 Space Development Agency’s satellite program pushes launch timeline https://spacenews.com/space-development-agencys-satellite-program-pushes-launch-timeline/ https://spacenews.com/space-development-agencys-satellite-program-pushes-launch-timeline/#respond Fri, 07 Mar 2025 23:54:05 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514166

The PWSA Tranche 1 launch campaign is now anticipated to begin in late summer 2025

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U.S. halts satellite imagery support to Ukraine in major policy shift https://spacenews.com/us-halts-satellite-imagery-support-to-ukraine-in-major-policy-shift/ https://spacenews.com/us-halts-satellite-imagery-support-to-ukraine-in-major-policy-shift/#respond Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:13:58 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514145

The decision cuts off Ukraine's access to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency's (NGA) commercial satellite imagery platform.

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U.S. military spaceplane completes 7th mission, including advanced orbital maneuvers https://spacenews.com/u-s-military-spaceplane-completes-7th-mission-including-advanced-orbital-maneuvers/ https://spacenews.com/u-s-military-spaceplane-completes-7th-mission-including-advanced-orbital-maneuvers/#respond Fri, 07 Mar 2025 18:40:33 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514104

The X-37B spaceplane touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 7.

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Danti expands AI-powered Earth data search engine to broader government market https://spacenews.com/danti-expands-ai-powered-earth-data-search-engine-to-broader-government-market/ https://spacenews.com/danti-expands-ai-powered-earth-data-search-engine-to-broader-government-market/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 23:05:24 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514074

The technology allows users to search satellite imagery and other geospatial data using natural language queries.

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York taps commercial satellite technology for classified defense missions https://spacenews.com/york-taps-commercial-satellite-technology-for-classified-defense-missions/ https://spacenews.com/york-taps-commercial-satellite-technology-for-classified-defense-missions/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:10:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514061

York Space Systems plans to launch five missions in 2025 for commercial customers conducting classified experiments for the U.S. military

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ULA boss says Vulcan ready for multiple launches in 2025 https://spacenews.com/ula-boss-says-vulcan-ready-for-multiple-launches-in-2025/ https://spacenews.com/ula-boss-says-vulcan-ready-for-multiple-launches-in-2025/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:35:19 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514029

Bruno said ULA has six Vulcan rockets currently in production

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US military taps commercial space firms for hypersonic testing program https://spacenews.com/startups-see-a-new-market-for-frequent-lower-cost-hypersonics-testing/ https://spacenews.com/startups-see-a-new-market-for-frequent-lower-cost-hypersonics-testing/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 14:30:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513942 Stratolaunch’s Talon hypersonic flight vehicle. Credit: Stratolaunch

In a March 2024 flight test, Stratolaunch’s Roc aircraft took off from California’s Mojave Spaceport and, after reaching its designated position off the California coast, released its payload, the Talon-A […]

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Space Force general: ‘Golden Dome’ missile shield requires Manhattan Project-scale effort https://spacenews.com/space-force-general-golden-dome-missile-shield-requires-manhattan-project-scale-effort/ https://spacenews.com/space-force-general-golden-dome-missile-shield-requires-manhattan-project-scale-effort/#respond Wed, 05 Mar 2025 22:26:32 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513957

Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, said Golden Dome represents a significant challenge that demands unprecedented collaboration across defense and intelligence agencies.

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Silicon Valley players aim to follow SpaceX’s disruptive path in defense sector https://spacenews.com/silicon-valley-players-aim-to-follow-spacexs-disruptive-path-in-defense-sector/ https://spacenews.com/silicon-valley-players-aim-to-follow-spacexs-disruptive-path-in-defense-sector/#respond Wed, 05 Mar 2025 20:26:51 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513938

Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale said that for commercial firms to gain substantial ground, ‘the processes have to be transparent and open and fair.’

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Space launch executives warn U.S. infrastructure unprepared for coming launch surge https://spacenews.com/space-launch-executives-warn-u-s-infrastructure-unprepared-for-coming-launch-surge/ https://spacenews.com/space-launch-executives-warn-u-s-infrastructure-unprepared-for-coming-launch-surge/#respond Tue, 04 Mar 2025 21:38:50 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513868

Industry leaders from Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA call for modernization of launch facilities to increase capacity

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Astranis demonstrates GPS capability in race for Space Force contract https://spacenews.com/astranis-demonstrates-gps-capability-in-race-for-space-force-contract/ https://spacenews.com/astranis-demonstrates-gps-capability-in-race-for-space-force-contract/#respond Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:08:18 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513835

The company is a contender in the Space Force’s Resilient GPS program, an initiative aimed at augmenting the existing GPS constellation with smaller and lower-cost satellites

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Space Force chief calls for greater focus on ‘space superiority’ https://spacenews.com/space-force-chief-calls-for-greater-focus-on-space-superiority/ https://spacenews.com/space-force-chief-calls-for-greater-focus-on-space-superiority/#respond Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:15:53 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513798

Saltzman: "We must think of space as a war fighting domain, rather than just a collection of support activities"

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BAE lands $151 million contract for missile-warning satellite ground system https://spacenews.com/bae-lands-151-million-contract-for-missile-warning-satellite-ground-system/ https://spacenews.com/bae-lands-151-million-contract-for-missile-warning-satellite-ground-system/#respond Mon, 03 Mar 2025 21:31:13 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513795

BAE Systems will lead the second phase of the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) command and control (C2) ground system program

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Voyager to adopt partnership strategy for Golden Dome program https://spacenews.com/voyager-to-adopt-partnership-strategy-for-golden-dome-program/ https://spacenews.com/voyager-to-adopt-partnership-strategy-for-golden-dome-program/#respond Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:07:28 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513773

VP Matt Magaña: There's a clear signal from the government that they want to tap into commercial innovations for Golden Dome

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Air Force selects Pacific landing sites to test space cargo deliveries https://spacenews.com/air-force-selects-pacific-landing-sites-to-test-space-cargo-deliveries/ https://spacenews.com/air-force-selects-pacific-landing-sites-to-test-space-cargo-deliveries/#respond Sun, 02 Mar 2025 17:15:26 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513745

The military will seek environmental approval for two landing pads at Johnston Atoll

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Varda Space capsule lands in Australia with critical data for hypersonic vehicles https://spacenews.com/varda-space-capsule-lands-in-australia-with-critical-data-for-hypersonic-vehicles/ https://spacenews.com/varda-space-capsule-lands-in-australia-with-critical-data-for-hypersonic-vehicles/#respond Sat, 01 Mar 2025 12:29:10 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513719

After spending six weeks in orbit, the capsule touched down at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia

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Two senators question Air Force nominee’s SpaceX connections https://spacenews.com/two-senators-question-air-force-nominees-spacex-connections/ https://spacenews.com/two-senators-question-air-force-nominees-spacex-connections/#respond Fri, 28 Feb 2025 23:22:32 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513714

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Meink seeking clarity on his relationship with SpaceX and its chief executive, Elon Musk

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Golden Dome replaces Iron Dome: Pentagon renames missile defense initiative https://spacenews.com/golden-dome-replaces-iron-dome-pentagon-renames-missile-defense-initiative/ https://spacenews.com/golden-dome-replaces-iron-dome-pentagon-renames-missile-defense-initiative/#respond Fri, 28 Feb 2025 21:42:49 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513704

While inspired by Israel's Iron Dome air-defense system, the American version is designed to operate on a much larger scale

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Space Development Agency pushes back on GAO’s criticism  https://spacenews.com/space-development-agency-pushes-back-on-gaos-criticism/ https://spacenews.com/space-development-agency-pushes-back-on-gaos-criticism/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2025 22:42:25 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513656

The congressional watchdog raised concerns about the agency's rush to deploy hundreds of military satellites before fully proving that they can establish laser communications in orbit

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Congressional watchdog flags risks in Space Development Agency’s satellite program https://spacenews.com/congressional-watchdog-flags-risks-in-space-development-agencys-satellite-program/ https://spacenews.com/congressional-watchdog-flags-risks-in-space-development-agencys-satellite-program/#respond Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:35:14 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513589 is being emulated across the Space Force. Credit: Northrop Grumman

The Government Accountability Office specifically raises concerns about the technical maturity of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture’s laser communications technology.

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War of words heats up over Space Force’s strategic posture https://spacenews.com/war-of-words-heats-up-over-space-forces-strategic-posture/ https://spacenews.com/war-of-words-heats-up-over-space-forces-strategic-posture/#respond Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:02:06 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513584

The Space Force Association issued a strong rebuttal to a Mitchell Institute report that argued the Space Force is more focused on competitive endurance than on defeating adversaries

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Wargaming the Unknown: The Space Force’s challenge in preparing for a war no one has fought https://spacenews.com/wargaming-the-unknown-the-space-forces-challenge-in-preparing-for-a-war-no-one-has-fought/ https://spacenews.com/wargaming-the-unknown-the-space-forces-challenge-in-preparing-for-a-war-no-one-has-fought/#respond Tue, 25 Feb 2025 22:48:16 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513566

Col. Lincoln Bonner said simulating potential adversary actions in space is "absolutely essential" given the lack of historical conflicts to study.

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U.S. Air Force to explore Xona Space’s commercial alternative to GPS https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-to-explore-xona-spaces-commercial-alternative-to-gps/ https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-to-explore-xona-spaces-commercial-alternative-to-gps/#respond Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:22:49 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513562

The company won a $4.6 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory

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Space Force to play ‘central role’ in Iron Dome U.S. missile defense initiative https://spacenews.com/space-force-to-play-central-role-in-iron-dome-u-s-missile-defense-initiative/ https://spacenews.com/space-force-to-play-central-role-in-iron-dome-u-s-missile-defense-initiative/#respond Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:24:49 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513523

Given the future system’s heavy reliance on space assets, "I think we have a central role to play," said Gen. Chance Saltzman.

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