House panel votes to split Air Force, create new U.S. Space Corps, Federal News Radio “As part of its version of the 2018 Defense authorization bill, the House Armed Services Committee voted late Wednesday night to create a sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces: the U.S. Space Corps, which would absorb the Air Force’s current space missions.” Alabama Congressman proposes creating new branch of US military: The Space Corps, […]

Space Acquisitions: DOD Continues to Face Challenges of Delayed Delivery of Critical Space Capabilities and Fragmented Leadership, GAO “Many major Department of Defense (DOD) space programs GAO reviewed have experienced cost and schedule increases. For example, costs for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite program grew 118 percent and its first satellite was launched more than 3.5 years late. Costs for the Space Based Infrared System grew nearly 300 percent […]

Keith’s note: Sources report that Chris Shank is headed to DOD as part of their Beachhead team and is not staying at NASA or returning to Capitol Hill. Shank’s former NASA boss Mike Griffin recently met with Trump Transition Team members and has expressed an interest in being nominated to be Secretary of the Air Force. Shank served for more than a decade in the Air Force. Stay tuned. Keith’s […]

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle: DOD Is Assessing Data on Worldwide Launch Market to Inform New Acquisition Strategy, GAO “In February 2016, Congress asked GAO to examine what is known about other countries with launch capabilities and whether or not countries had fostered competition among launch providers, similar to what the United States is attempting to do in the EELV program. GAO responded to this request with a written briefing on […]

SASC Chairman John McCain Urges Air Force Secretary to Address Russia’s Role in National Security Space Program “Contrary to the estimates you provided to me in private, I am left to conclude that your decision to publicly cite a figure as high as $5 billion was done so to obfuscate efforts to responsibly transition off of the RD-180 before the end of the decade,” writes Chairman McCain. “I invite you […]

Orbital presses U.S. lawmakers to end ban on retired missiles, Reuters “Orbital ATK is pressing U.S. lawmakers to end a 20-year ban on using decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) for launching commercial satellites and the effort has raised concern among companies that have invested millions of dollars in potential rival rockets. Orbital Vice President Barron Beneski said in an interview on Friday that the company was pushing Washington to get […]

Air Force Awards Final Rocket Propulsion System Prototype OTAs, Space and Missile Systems Center “Today the Space and Missile Systems Center awarded the final Other Transaction Agreements for shared public-private investments in Rocket Propulsion System prototypes. One award is to Aerojet Rocketdyne for development of the AR1 rocket propulsion system. The initial government investment is $115.3 million. The other award is to United Launch Alliance for development of the Vulcan/BE-4 […]

Sen. McCain blasts Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture for dropping out of launch competition, Washington Post “In a statement last month, ULA said “it wants nothing more to compete,” but was prevented from doing so because of the lack of engines, and because it could not comply with the accounting structures required under the contract. It also said that the Air Force used a procurement process that would give a lot […]

USAF Space and Missiles System Center Certifies SpaceX for National Security Space Missions “Lieutenant General Samuel Greaves, Commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space, has announced the certification of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation’s (SpaceX) Falcon 9 Launch System for national security space missions. SpaceX is now eligible for award of qualified national security space launch missions as one […]

NASA’s Secret Relationships with U.S. Defense and Intelligence Agencies, George Washington University “Furnishing cover stories for covert operations, monitoring Soviet missile tests, and supplying weather data to the U.S. military have been part of the secret side of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) since its inception in 1958, according to declassified documents posted for the first time today by the National Security Archive at The George Washington University.”