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.
Tactical Exploitation of National CAPabilities (TENCAP) began with US Army and Air Force interest in direct access to electronic intelligence data.
Starting in 1963, the Air Force deployed a series of suitcase-sized satellites off larger satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The P-11 satellite was turned over to the Air Force Museum after its exhibition in 1970.
Starting in the early 1960s, the United States Air Force launched satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
By the late 1970s, the satellites began serving tactical users like deployed Army and Air Force units in Europe and Korea.
The Department of the Air Force is planning three in-person public meetings 2024-01-14 through 16 in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Lompoc, California, and an online public meeting 2024-01-23 to discuss the planned EIS.
The Department of the Air Force will accept public comments on the scope of the planned EIS through 2024-01-27.
Space Launch Complex 6 was built in the 1960s for the Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, which was canceled in 1969 before any launches took place.
U.S. Space Command’s Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base placed a $196,700,000 order with the RTX Raytheon segment in Aurora, Colorado for the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX).
Draken International won a $280,000,000 contract with the U.S. Air Force in 2018.
The Arizona radar was partially funded by a 2023 U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award.
The March 2024 prototype weather satellite was launched in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and the Defense Innovation Unit.
Commercial reentry capsules offer the U.S. Air Force an operational environment to test vehicle subsystems under real flight conditions.
FASTBACK-B was proposed as a second variant of FASTBACK, featuring a digital data-return system through the Air Force Satellite Control Network.
The U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are collaborating under a Tri-Service Memorandum of Understanding on critical sub-systems for CCA platforms.
The U.S. Space Force and the U.S. Air Force are exploring concepts to use Starship as a rapid global transport system capable of delivering personnel and cargo to any point on Earth in under an hour, potentially replacing platforms like the C-17 Globemaster III.
Reed and Shaheen requested that Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall provide a briefing on the case and on efforts to increase competition among commercial space capability providers no later than 2024-12-01.
A second 2024-11-15 letter from Reed and Shaheen was sent to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall raising concerns about relying on SpaceX for space access and communications.
NASA-developed technology onboard MuSat2 will supply the U.S. Air Force with data for producing reliable weather forecasts.
In 2023, Congress required the Department of the Air Force to validate that WGS-12 would fulfill military requirements not met by commercial alternatives.