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 House Appropriations Committee highlighted concerns about funding the Space Force’s multi-orbit architecture in its report accompanying the 2023 defense budget markup.
The administration’s projections show Space Force funding growing by 4.2% in 2025 and then leveling off by 2027.
The Office of Space Commerce is working with the Department of Defense, the U.S. Space Force, and U.S. Space Command to develop linkages and transition civil space traffic management responsibilities from DoD to Commerce.
The U.S. Space Force was established in December 2019.
The U.S. Space Force ordered three LDPE satellites, the first of which launched in December, with two more scheduled to launch on upcoming national security space missions.
The U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $22,000,000 contract to produce a satellite bus able to carry multiple small payloads to demonstrate on-orbit refueling in geostationary orbit.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting is the commander of Space Operations Command for the U.S. Space Force.
The Space Force is seeking to add more squadrons of cyber specialists to support military units operating communications, surveillance, and navigation satellites.
The Space Force has invested in cyber defenses and employs a cyber workforce focused on defensive cyber operations.
The hybrid space architecture project is being conducted in collaboration with the Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Relativity will launch OneWeb missions from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Space Systems Command and Virgin Orbit National Systems successfully air-launched seven Department of Defense research and development satellites for the U.S. Space Force on LauncherOne after taking off on 2022-07-01 from Mojave Air and Space Port, California.
The STP-S28 contract was awarded to Virgin Orbit National Systems in April 2020 by the United States Space Force as a three-launch mission, with STP-S28A as the first launch.
Atlas V delivered both USSF-12 spacecraft directly to geosynchronous orbit approximately 22,0 m (35,500 km) above the equator about six hours after liftoff.
Northrop Grumman provided solid rocket boosters and other critical components for the Atlas V rocket that launched the USSF-12 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Atlas V launch profile for USSF-12 included three firings of its upper stage to deliver the payloads to geosynchronous altitude without large-scale orbit-raising maneuvers by the satellites.
Northrop Grumman supplied an ESPAStar satellite and a Wide Field of View testbed missile detection satellite as part of the USSF-12 mission.
Terran 1 is undergoing testing at Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of a launch projected for later this summer.
The Atlas 5 Centaur upper stage on USSF-12 was powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine.
The USSF-12 mission to geosynchronous Earth orbit had a program value of $1,100,000,000.