Tag Archives: SMC

SpaceX has announced its intent to update its fleet of space vehicles into reusable platforms by 2022 to support national security missions, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, said the U.S. Space Force expects to award by the end of 2020 a contract for the management of the Space Enterprise Consortium, C4ISRNET reported Wednesday.

SpaceX is studying ways how it could offer weather data to the U.S. military under a potential six-month, $2M contract awarded by the Space Force’s Space Missile Systems Center in July, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

The U.S. Space Force has signed a contract modification that allows SpaceX to recover and reuse the first-stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket for future missions under the National Security Space Launch program.

Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s space business and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, has said that companies should work to establish a diverse supply chain and marketplace to help the U.S. Space Force address future requirements, SpaceNews reported Monday.

The U.S. Space Force will hold a pitch day in spring 2021 to provide small businesses and nontraditional companies an opportunity to present their technology concepts aimed at addressing critical military challenges in the space domain and win contracts on the spot.

The U.S. Space Force has tasked Atmosphere and Space Technology Research Associates to build and test a military-grade prototype technology intended to characterize Earth's clouds. ASTRA said Tuesday it will collaborate with Lockheed Martin, Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Pumpkin and Atmospheric and Environmental Research to develop the cloud characterization system.

Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur IV vehicle has launched a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite mission to orbit as part of the U.S. Space Force’s Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 contract.

Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics at the U.S. Air Force and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the Department of Defense approved $116M in funds for small launch contracts but decided to redirect the funds to small business loan initiatives, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

LinQuest has been awarded a $76.6M contract modification to continue helping the U.S. Air Force engineer, integrate systems. The Los Angeles-based company will provide the services to the branch's programs with high security requirements, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has decided to withdraw its plans to award firm-fixed-price contracts for rideshare launch services under the Defense Production Act Title III program after reviewing responses to its notice of contract award.

The third Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite has started using its liquid propulsion systems to reach its operational orbit and is responding to commands from U.S. Space Force and Lockheed operators.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded ManTech International a potential four-month, $20.9M contract modification to continue performing system engineering and integration services to support the U.S. Space Force’s launch operations.

United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4 rocket is slated to send payload from the National Reconnaissance Office to orbit on August 26 following program delays, Spaceflight Now reported Friday.

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Space Force have commenced thermal vacuum, or TVAC, tests of a new satellite designed to deliver early missile warning via infrared surveillance technology.