The Department of Defense (DOD) is a U.S. government agency responsible for military and national security space activities. It acts as a major procurer and operator of space systems, including launch vehicles and satellite systems for reconnaissance, missile launch detection, navigation, and communication. The DOD aims to maintain space superiority, integrate military space power, and ensure space stability, working with commercial firms to integrate space solutions into national security architectures.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Under Walter Berger’s leadership, Kymeta established itself as a provider of electronically steered satellite communications solutions adopted by the Department of Defense and by government, enterprise, and maritime customers worldwide.
Muon Space has closed contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense including SBIRs focused on environmental monitoring and missile warning and tracking capabilities.
The Department of Defense aims to diversify the defense industrial base and mitigate reliance on a limited number of providers.
The Pentagon is pushing for three viable domestic heavy-lift providers and is focusing in 2026 on certification of Blue Origin’s New Glenn and Rocket Lab’s Neutron.
Achieving full operational capability for New Glenn and Neutron is central to the Department of Defense’s Sovereign Space Resilience strategy.
The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act codified Pentagon acquisition reforms that eliminate dozens of committees and establish empowered Portfolio Acquisition Executives with authority to reallocate funds and accelerate program timelines.
On February 2, 2026 U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered a policy address at Blue Origin’s Rocket Factory in Merritt Island, Florida that marked an expansion of the Department of Defense’s acquisition reforms into the space domain.
The Department of Defense will prioritize launch providers based on technology performance and delivery speed rather than company name.
The Pentagon will accept a higher risk threshold for certain missions to operationalize proliferated low Earth orbit constellations more rapidly and enhance missile warning and tracking capabilities through the Space Development Agency.
The CRADA with the U.S. Air Force creates pathways for the Department of Defense to leverage VLEO and helps Viridian Space develop an offering for the commercial sector.
The Department of Defense seeks robust competition among launch providers to ensure resilience and reduce costs.
Data collected by Viridian’s VLEO platform could provide the Department of Defense with improved understanding of atmospheric drag at different altitudes and how space weather events impact satellite lifespans.
The Department of Defense will continue to use its existing framework for requiring cost estimates from contractors.
The Department of Defense is considering eliminating the PWSA transport layer in favor of a Starlink alternative.
The GAO recommended that the Department of Defense create a reliable life-cycle cost estimate for the Tracking Layer and noted that limited cost data were collected for Tranches 1 and 2.
The NASA and Department of Defense recovery teams will begin heading to the Orion splashdown site in the days after launch.
NASA and Department of Defense recovery teams are conducting an at-sea final rehearsal called 'Just-in-time training' to practice recovering the crew and the Orion spacecraft after a Pacific Ocean splashdown.
CASR addresses a Department of Defense gap in the ability to rapidly scale bandwidth and surveillance during a peer-level conflict.
The Department of Defense concurred with five of the GAO recommendations and concurred partially with one recommendation.
CASR aims to provide the Department of Defense with scalable surge capacity for space-based services during periods of heightened international tension or active conflict.