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.
On April 29, 2025, Lockheed Martin launched an LM 400 mid-sized satellite bus on Firefly Aerospace's Alpha Flight 6 mission from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The U.S. Space Force is using the Enterprise Space Terminal program to reduce single points of failure in space communications infrastructure by enabling direct satellite-to-satellite data transfer via laser crosslinks.
Space Systems Command identified Link-182 as the subject of a multi-year research and demonstration effort supporting the Space Force’s Space Combat Power portfolio.
The U.S. Space Force falls under the organizational umbrella of the Department of the Air Force.
The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $57.3 million firm-fixed-price contract to develop and demonstrate the Link-182 Space-to-Space Communications System.
Space Systems Command serves as the U.S. Space Force’s primary acquisition organization for developing and fielding space capabilities.
SpaceX’s CAS500-2 mission is scheduled for liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday, May 3.
The United States Space Force’s April 2024 Commercial Space Strategy evaluates commercial providers across the ground, link, and space segments.
The Space Force has indicated that Link-182 is part of a broader initiative to establish standardized space-to-space communications capabilities across future government satellite systems.
The United States Space Force’s April 2024 Commercial Space Strategy requires commercial providers to meet NSA, NIST, and DISA standards to be considered for USSF integration.
One of True Anomaly’s spacecraft will conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with a Rocket Lab satellite during the Space Force’s VICTUS HAZE mission.
The Space Force’s VICTUS HAZE mission is included in True Anomaly’s next 18 months of missions.
ULA launched the satellites on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 8:53 p.m. ET.
The U.S. Space Force awarded True Anomaly one of 12 recent contracts for prototype technologies for space-based interceptors.
True Anomaly received one of 14 Space Force contracts this month under the Andromeda space domain awareness program.
The Deke Space Communicator launched on March 30, 2026 on SpaceX’s Transporter-16 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The USSF projects that by 2040 the electromagnetic spectrum will be a critical contested domain.
The U.S. Space Force launched the final GPS III satellite on April 21 from Cape Canaveral.
China is the USSF’s primary pacing threat in the Future Operating Environment 2040 report.
The United States Space Force would provide the backbone of space domain awareness in the proposed Fortress Moon architecture.