The U.S. Air Force (USAF) plays a significant role in the space industry, historically serving as the Department of Defense's executive agent for space, and developing early military space programs and launch vehicles. Although the U.S. Space Force was established as an independent branch in 2019, the Air Force continues to contribute to space operations, including training personnel, research and development, and maintaining partnerships. The USAF's space-related activities encompass satellite operations, missile warning, communication support, and collaboration with allies to ensure regional stability. Key partners include the U.S. Space Force, other branches of the military, and international allies.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The Air Force is responsible for approximately 70 percent of the 62 systems that comprise NC3.
Air Force Global Strike Command manages the Air Force’s portion of the NC3 system.
The Air Force plans to acquire more than 650 missiles under the GBSD program.
SpaceX’s next mission after the Telstar 19 Vantage launch is a Falcon 9 carrying 10 Iridium Next satellites scheduled for launch on 2018-07-25 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The Block 5 Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida at 1:50 a.m. Eastern on 2018-07-22.
The Air Force awarded a $349,000,000 contract to Boeing in August 2017 to mature GBSD designs after a three-way competition.
The Air Force awarded a $328,000,000 contract to Northrop Grumman in August 2017 to mature GBSD designs after a three-way competition.
Rocket Lab selected Cape Canaveral, Florida; Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia as four potential locations for a U.S. launch site for its Electron rocket.
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida at 5:42 a.m. Eastern.
The Air Force is spending $10,000,000 to develop a flexible modem interface to connect existing terminals to commercial networks and military satellites.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn orbital launch vehicle has a first stage designed to be reused and will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites detect missile launches from geostationary Earth orbit.
Aerojet Rocketdyne signed a modification of its Rocket Propulsion System other transaction authority agreement with the U.S. Air Force on 2018-06-25 to incorporate work on the RL10C-X engine.
United Launch Alliance was one of several companies seeking Launch Service Agreements from the U.S. Air Force to support continued development of new launch vehicles.
Congress created the Space Rapid Capabilities Office with a $316,000,000 budget and a headquarters at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office has 250 people and manages a $30,000,000,000 portfolio.
The Air Force is considering adapting the open mission systems model used for the B-21 bomber so future software and electronics upgrades for satellites can be bought from commercial suppliers.
The Air Force decided to begin modernizing its missile warning constellation within the next five years and awarded Lockheed Martin the contract for geostationary orbit satellites and Northrop Grumman the contract for polar orbit satellites.
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles awarded the AFSPC-52 contract.
The U.S. Air Force awarded SpaceX a $130,000,000 contract to launch the Air Force Space Command AFSPC-52 satellite.