U.S. Space Force

Boeing is kick-starting an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payload production line at its facilities outside of Los Angeles.

U.S. military space leaders spent the better part of last year debating whether the time was ripe to invest further in in-space servicing and refueling. But going into 2026, the messaging has begun to coalesce around a more positive note.

The U.S. Space Systems Command is looking for companies that could provide refueling services in geostationary orbit to spacecraft configured for such operations.

“We would be foolish if we didn’t take advantage of commercial space capabilities,” a Space Force official says.

A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket successfully delivered the next batch of U.S. military satellites to their intended orbits on Feb. 12.

The U.S. Space Force is working to advance its protected tactical satellite communication (satcom) efforts with boosted prototypes.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The U.S. Space Force and SpaceX launched the latest GPS III satellite on Jan. 27, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral SFS.

The U.S. Space Force is moving quickly to field a new constellation of commercially derived spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit.

The DOD is following a strict schedule to deploy an initial Golden Dome for America capability in just more than two years and an expanded architecture by 2035.

The Space Force is breaking ground with commercial partners and intelligence agencies to deliver the moving target indication data to fight and win tomorrow’s wars.

The U.S. Space Force could receive a “significant part” of a future $1.5 trillion defense budget as proposed by President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Space Force plans to launch the next GPS III satellite no earlier than Jan. 25, the service’s Space Systems Command announced Jan. 22.

SpaceX successfully carried an undisclosed number of satellites to orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Following a banner year of satellite launches and two reusable launch attempts, China appears poised to demonstrate more cutting-edge tech on orbit in 2026.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded military space launches worth $739 million to SpaceX to support future missions for the Space Development Agency and NRO.

One week into 2026, United Launch Alliance is preparing for its first mission of the year.

The U.S. Space Force is gauging industry interest to build up a new launch site at Vandenberg SFB, California.

Outgoing United Launch Alliance President and CEO Tory Bruno will join Blue Origin as its new president of national security.

In 2026, the U.S. Space Force wants to pass several development milestones for its Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) program.

As 2025 draws to an end, the Resilient-GPS program “doesn’t have a future fate,” one contractor says.

The White House issued a new executive order framing its near-term plans and policy ambitions for the space domain on Dec. 18.

SpaceX said one of its Starlink satellites failed on orbit, causing some space debris and now tumbling.

The U.S. Space Force has set domain awareness as its initial—and for now, sole—mission area of focus for its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve program.

Northrop is supplying an extra, classified payload to be integrated onto the U.S. Space Force’s next-generation overhead persistent infrared polar-based sats.