The U.S. Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Department of Defense, established in December 2019. Its primary role is to organize, train, and equip space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space by ensuring space superiority. The USSF manages space launch operations, satellite operations, space environment surveillance, and satellite defense, and partners with organizations like NASA on space domain awareness and planetary defense. Key areas of focus include missile warning, satellite communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The U.S. Space Force is planning to double its active-duty personnel by the end of 2030.
A new U.S. Space Force study says the U.S. military needs a third heavy-lift spaceport.
The U.S. Space Force designed the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar program to improve infrared tracking over the northern polar regions and close coverage gaps over vulnerable transit flight paths.
BAE Systems delivered critical flight hardware for the U.S. Space Force’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar program on May 15, 2026.
The Space Force allowed Northrop Grumman to proceed with missile-warning satellites for Next-Gen Polar Program manufacturing in December 2024.
Two new Starship pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station can handle 76 launches annually.
The U.S. Space Force is focusing specialized infrared tracking on the northern polar regions to close coverage gaps over vulnerable transit flight paths.
BAE Systems delivered critical flight hardware to support the U.S. Space Force’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar program on May 15, 2026.
The Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar initiative shifts U.S. Space Force missile-warning coverage away from the legacy Space-Based Infrared System Highly Elliptical Orbit hosted payloads.
The U.S. Space Force allowed Northrop Grumman to proceed with missile-warning satellites for Next-Gen Polar Program manufacturing in December 2024.
The United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command awarded Rocket Lab a $90 million contract.
The GRUS-3 satellites will launch on the Transporter-17 rideshare mission through Exolaunch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Space Force is analyzing alternatives to support additional launches.
The Space Force requested $2.2 billion in its FY2027 budget request to increase launch infrastructure investment.
Rocket Lab will build the first GEO satellites for a U.S. Space Force space domain awareness mission.
The Space Force is seeking separate launch locations to improve geographic resiliency for U.S. military space access.
The Space Force plans to use the requested funding to modernize launch facilities in Florida and California for government launches by Firefly Aerospace, Stoke, and Relativity.
The MRV is being adapted for Project Elixir, the U.S. Space Force's next-generation infrastructure push.
The RSGS mission is scheduled to launch later in the summer of 2026 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Major General Stephen Purdy authored the January 16, 2026 Space Force assessment.