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.
Peterson Air Force Base will become a U.S. Space Force base and will be renamed Peterson Space Force Base in a ceremony planned for 2021-07-26.
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station will become a U.S. Space Force base and will be renamed Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station in a ceremony planned for 2021-07-26.
DSX was designed and built at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
Congress mandated in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that the Air Force appoint a separate senior acquisition executive for space and that the new position must be filled by no later than October 2022.
The U.S. Air Force awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts to 29 companies, including Umbra, Kymeta, Hughes Network Systems, and Hypergiant Galactic Systems.
The $26,400,000 contract was awarded by the U.S. Air Force’s AFVentures with funding from the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The Cogswell Award was established in 1966 in honor of Air Force Col. James S. Cogswell, who was the first chief of the Unified Office of Industrial Security.
The US Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center transferred Satellite Control Authority of GPS III SV05 to the 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base on 2021-06-28.
Civil Air Patrol partnered with the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility to etch more than 27,000 CAP member names, 270 Air Force Association StellarXplorers names, an 80th anniversary CAP logo, and messages from CAP and AFA leadership onto a microchip the size of a postage stamp.
The 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base manages and operates the GPS constellation for civil and military users.
The European Space Agency, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Department of Defense have awarded contracts to Hydrosat.
The Air Force invested millions of dollars to upgrade Space Command’s facilities at Peterson known as Building 1.
The SpaceX Transporter-2 rideshare mission is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida on 2021-06-25.
Spaceflight will coordinate the Aurora launch as one of 36 payloads on the SpaceX Transporter-2 rideshare mission occurring on 2021-06-24, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.
Roosevelt "Ted" Mercer Jr., a retired Air Force major general, will be the chief executive and executive director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority beginning 2021-08-01.
Mercer served 32 years in the U.S. Air Force and commanded the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
QMR-KWT is due to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on 2021-06-24.
Mercer retired from the Air Force in 2008.
Phase Four won a Small Business Innovation Research award from the U.S. Air Force in April to develop a version of Maxwell that uses iodine as propellant.
The Department of the Air Force plans to procure GPS III Follow-on Space Vehicles that include a spot beam providing an anti-jam improvement 100 times greater than current encrypted military code.