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 contract is a four-year Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 award to deliver a prototype suite of software products for space domain awareness.
Silent Barker is a joint mission of the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force placed into orbit by an Atlas V on 2023-09-08 to monitor satellites in the geostationary belt.
Ten satellites incorporating Terran Orbital satellite buses were deployed in low Earth orbit following a 2023-09-02 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Firefly Aerospace received a 24-hour notice and completed final launch preparations within 24 hours after receiving launch orders from the U.S. Space Force.
Terran Orbital successfully deployed 10 smallsats that incorporate the company’s buses to low Earth orbit following a 2023-09-02 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Northrop Grumman launched a mission on 21-day notice in 2021 as an experiment in responsive launch options for the U.S. Space Force.
The four L3Harris wide-field-of-view infrared satellites are on track to launch in October on USSF-124 alongside two Missile Defense Agency medium-field-of-view prototype infrared satellites.
ABL Space Systems received a $15,000,000 task order from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate it can launch a payload on short notice from either one of the company’s two launch pads.
ABL’s contractual task is to maintain readiness at two separate deployed launch sites and receive an order from the U.S. Space Force to launch RS1 at either one of them.
Upon receiving launch and orbit requirements from the U.S. Space Force, Firefly completed trajectory software updates, payload encapsulation, transport to the launch pad, mating to Alpha, and fueling within 24 hours.
General Atomics selected EO Vista in 2020 as its payload supplier for the U.S. Space Force Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System program.
The space vehicle was transported 266 km from Millennium Space’s El Segundo facility to Vandenberg Space Force Base where it was tested, fueled, and mated to the launch adapter in just under 58 hours.
Victus Nox lifted off at 7:28 p.m. Pacific from Space Launch Complex 2 West at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
After the Space Force provided final launch and orbit parameters, Firefly Aerospace had 24 hours to update the trajectory, encapsulate the payload, transport it to the pad, and stand ready to launch.
Upon receiving launch and orbit requirements from the U.S. Space Force, Firefly completed trajectory software updates, payload encapsulation, transport to the launch pad, mating to Alpha, and fueling within 24 hours.
The Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites is scheduled from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Upon receiving launch notice and orbit requirements from the USSF, Firefly completed trajectory software updates, payload encapsulation, transport to the launch pad, mating to Alpha, and fueling within 24 hours.
Firefly Aerospace successfully launched its Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on 2023-09-14.
The Space Force is finalizing a blueprint for integrating commercial satellite services into military activities.
The new strategy will provide unifying guidance to the Space Force to achieve competitive advantage through commercial augmentation.