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.
Lockheed Martin Space built the ninth GPS III spacecraft, GPS III SV09, for the U.S. Space Force.
Spacetime has been experimentally used with organizations such as the Defense Innovation Unit, the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and commercial satellite operators.
The United States Space Force is preparing a series of high-profile logistics demonstrations throughout 2026 to prove the feasibility of on-orbit refueling and sustained maneuver concepts.
AST SpaceMobile scheduled the BlueBird 7 launch for late February from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Blue Origin’s New Glenn.
Northwood won a $49.8 million, three-year Space Force contract to support the military’s Satellite Control Network.
Northwood Space provided communication links within three months of receiving the U.S. Space Force contract and worked with the USSF Program Executive Office for Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, and Space Intelligence (BMC3I).
Northwood Space received a $49.8 million award from the U.S. Space Force to support the Satellite Control Network (SCN).
The Space Force’s Space Systems Command approached Northwood after the October 2024 demo with Planet Labs to seek increased Satellite Control Network reactivity as low Earth orbit satellite numbers grow.
The US Space Force must address satellite refueling as a key area for future operations.
The small size of the US Space Force has limited its ability to consider its role in future lunar and nearby operations.
The United States Space Force is distilling its future operational needs and determining what platforms, support structures, and workforce will be necessary to maintain U.S. space superiority through 2040.
CSG-FM3 was launched on 2 January from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
GPS III SV09 is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with a primary launch window opening at 11:38 p.m. ET on January 27, 2026.
The USSF Oracle program, led by the Air Force Research Laboratory, plans to launch several space-domain-awareness satellites in the coming years.
The launch of the United Launch Alliance Vulcan carrying the USSF-87 mission is delayed to no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.
United Launch Alliance is the launch provider for the USSF-87 mission.
General Shawn Bratton is the deputy chief of operations of the US Space Force.
The USSF-87 mission is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is working with the US Space Force and NASA to create the mapping infrastructure needed for a GPS-like navigation capability to support lunar navigation.
A US Space Force strategic document addressing future operational needs and force structure is expected to be published in 2026.