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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The U.S. Air Force signed an agreement with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense to host two EPS-Recapitalization payloads on Space Norway spacecraft.
The U.S. Air Force decided in 2017 to end production of new SBIRS satellites and transition to Next-Gen OPIR for improved survivability against electronic and cyberattacks.
The National Guard's 2020 funding for space operations includes $71,000,000 for 1,100 personnel assigned to Air National Guard units and $5,000,000 for 152 personnel from the Army National Guard.
The U.S. Air Force started the Protected Tactical Satcom program in 2018 to develop secure satellite communications services that reduce dependence on the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite system.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett will re-open the process to select a permanent headquarters for U.S. Space Command later 2020 to give state and local leaders a fresh opportunity to make their pitches.
PredaSAR is a Florida startup led by retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Roger Teague.
The Space Force was established on 2019-12-20 under the Department of the Air Force.
In its fiscal year 2021 budget request, the Air Force shifted $15,400,000,000 to the Space Force from accounts that were previously in Air Force appropriations.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett submitted a report to congressional committees projecting the U.S. Space Force budget to grow by $2,600,000,000 over the next five years.
Congress in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Air Force to provide an estimate of the cost to stand up the Space Force and fund its key programs over the next five years.
The projected $2,600,000,000 represents additional costs for the Space Force beyond the $15,400,000,000 transferred from Air Force accounts.
The Trump administration transferred money from existing Air Force space programs to fund the Space Force 2021 request rather than adding $15,400,000,000 in new Pentagon funds.
Populating the Space Force will require the voluntary transfer of up to 16,000 Air Force personnel who worked under Air Force Space Command prior to the redesignation.
The $15,400,000,000 Space Force request provides $900,000,000 more than what Congress appropriated the previous year for Air Force space operations and investments.
The Space Force was established on 2019-12-20 as a separate branch of the armed forces under the Department of the Air Force.
L3Harris has technical experts and personnel deployed at the National Space Defense Center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs and at the Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The Air Force awarded Launch Service Agreement contracts to three other companies but not to SpaceX, and SpaceX’s challenge to that outcome remains pending.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy manifest included two classified U.S. Air Force missions scheduled for late 2020 and early 2021 and a ViaSat-3 broadband communications satellite for Viasat in mid-2021.
Relativity Space expects to perform a first launch of the Terran 1 rocket in 2021 from a site it will develop at Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
A previous Falcon 9 launched the SAOCOM 1A satellite into polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in October 2018.