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 Space Force announced in June 2020 that it would stand up a Space Systems Command to oversee development and acquisition of next-generation technologies.
The U.S. Space Force will work with NASA as NASA begins deploying assets to cislunar space.
The Space Force intends for the Space Systems Command to work together with existing organizations including the Space and Missile Systems Center, the Space Development Agency, and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office.
Boeing received a $298,000,000 contract to build a satellite payload prototype and develop a secure communications architecture for the U.S. Space Force’s Evolved Strategic SATCOM program.
The U.S. Space Force operates about 77 satellites.
The Space Force activated a geostationary weather satellite transferred to the Air Force by NOAA in 2019.
The two classified programs that will test digital engineering of satellites are managed by the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center.
NASA and the U.S. Space Force signed a new memorandum of cooperation on space situational awareness and related activities at an event on 2020-09-22.
U.S. Air Force Space Command was disestablished when the U.S. Space Force was created on 2019-12-20.
Administrator Jim Bridenstine and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond discussed the memorandum of understanding on 2020-09-22 in a live virtual event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
A House amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act requires the U.S. Space Force to use the U.S. Navy’s rank structure.
L3Harris Technologies received a $119,100,000 contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center on 2020-09-21 to upgrade and expand the Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System.
The 2021 NDAA contains proposed language that would direct the U.S. Space Force to establish a reserve component.
The U.S. Space Force awarded $685,000,000 in contracts to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing in March to develop payloads for Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS).
Xage Security won a $743,000 Phase Two Small Business Innovation Research contract from AFWERX to develop, evaluate, and prepare a data protection strategy for the U.S. Space Force.
Xage Security announced the contract to develop a data protection strategy for the U.S. Space Force on 2020-09-17.
The U.S. Space Force seeks to cut acquisition timelines and design simpler satellites instead of developing unique, high-cost 'Taj Mahal' satellites that take decades to produce.
The funds that must transfer from the Air Force to the Space Force include $2,600,000,000 for operations and maintenance, $77,000,000 for emergency war spending, $10,300,000,000 for research, development, testing and evaluation, and $2,200,000,000 for procurement.
The U.S. Space Force’s 2021 budget includes $88,000,000 for upgrades to the National Space Defense Center.
The U.S. Space Force requires launch companies to shift to an autonomous flight safety system (AFSS) by October 2025 to allow phasing out older range safety systems.