The U.S. Navy plays a crucial role in the space industry through Naval Space Command (NAVSPACECOM). NAVSPACECOM is tasked with developing space capabilities to provide the Navy with global communications, targeting, and reconnaissance using space-based assets. They advocate for space-based capabilities and integrate them into maritime operations, working with partners like the U.S. Space Command to ensure maritime operations are supported by space assets. The Navy also has a history of contributing to manned spaceflight programs, including astronaut recovery and the development of satellite technology for navigation and communication.
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Luke Delaney earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Florida and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Rear Adm. Karrey “DeWayne” Sanders is the deputy commander of Navy Space.
Navy divers recovered each crew member and brought them aboard the USS John P. Murtha before helping recover Orion.
The Navy is upgrading existing platforms to turn ships into mobile space-domain-awareness trackers.
A global Starlink outage in August 2025 left two dozen U.S. Navy drones drifting without control off the coast of California for nearly an hour.
Internal Pentagon reports released on April 16, 2026 detailed operational failures in U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessels caused by spotty connectivity on the Starlink satellite network.
Navy documents indicate that Starlink connectivity issues affected drone tests as early as April 2025.
Iridium’s network was used to support specialized Artemis 2 recovery teams, including Navy divers from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1 and Air Force recovery units.
Iridium’s network provided primary tracking and recovery data used by the U.S. Navy and NASA recovery teams to locate Orion in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown preparations.
The LEPTON team combines NASA’s lunar exploration expertise, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s directed energy research expertise, and Volta Space Technologies’ commercial power delivery focus.
Volta Space Technologies U.S. and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing the Laser-Enabled Power Transmission Orbital Network (LEPTON) in collaboration with NASA.
Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley will be appointed Chief of Navy on promotion.
Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley was Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability at the Australian Submarine Agency before becoming Deputy Chief of Navy in January 2025.
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond has been Chief of Navy since 2022.
Admiral David Johnston has served in the Australian Defence Force for more than 48 years across Navy and joint appointments.
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond’s experience is relevant to Australia’s planned acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS and the Navy’s future surface combatant fleet.
The Space Test Program S29A mission deployed the STPSat-7 space vehicle with experimental payloads for the Department of War and the Naval Research Laboratory.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is preparing to demonstrate robotic satellite servicing capabilities later this week to extend the lifespan of high-value national security assets in orbit.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said the outgoing leaders oversaw Defence’s response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans’ Suicide, work on AUKUS and Navy transformation, and engagement with international partners.
The Orpheus mission has critical technical support from Dstl and contributions from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Defense Research and Development Canada.