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.
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SpaceX included development and infrastructure costs in its Phase 2 bid because it did not receive Launch Service Agreement development funding that competitors received from the Air Force in 2018.
On 2020-08-07, the U.S. Air Force awarded SpaceX a $316,000,000 contract to launch a National Reconnaissance Office satellite in fiscal year 2022.
In 2018 the U.S. Air Force awarded United Launch Alliance and other launch companies billions of dollars in Launch Service Agreement funding for vehicle development and infrastructure.
SpaceX included costs for an extended payload fairing, upgrades to its West Coast launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and a vertical integration facility required for NRO missions in its Phase 2 bid.
Maxar’s first two WorldView Legion satellites are set to launch in September 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Maxar Technologies plans to launch its first two WorldView Legion satellites as early as September 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.
Falcon 9 launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 2020-11-05 at 6:24 p.m. EST.
Slingshot Aerospace has partnered with the United States Air Force on two contracts to develop Slingshot Edge and a solution for the Air Force’s Base of the Future initiative.
The Space and Missile Systems Center is located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California and serves as the center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems.
A Falcon 9 carrying GPS III SV04 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 2020-11-05 at 6:24 p.m. EST.
The Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:24 p.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center and its mission partners launched GPS III SV04 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
GPS III SV04 launched on 2020-11-05 and separated from its rocket following a 6:24 p.m. EST liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
A classified space surveillance satellite program named Silent Barker is planned for deployment in 2022 and is jointly funded by the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.
NASA rescheduled the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launch from 2020-11-10 to 2020-11-21 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The NROL-101 launch is on track for 2020-11-03 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Descartes Labs received a Direct to Phase II AFWERX contract in July 2020 to create a single source of truth for the Air Force by fusing together multi-sensor data.
Guidestar Optical Systems received a U.S. Air Force contract to develop the architecture for a free space optical communications planning tool.
Guidestar Optical Systems won Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer awards from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army in 2019 for a series of projects.