The US Space Force

I guess somebody needed to pick up the litter eventually.

Plan to Deorbit Old Satellites Gains Steam with New Deals​

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/pentagon-contracts-deorbiting-services-old-satellites/
The Space Force wants contractors to sweep decommissioned satellites out of orbit when their useful lives are over, and it’s signed up three companies to advance its Deorbit-as-a-Service project: Firefly Aerospace, Katalyst Space, and D-Orbit.
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https://www.katalystspace.com/
https://www.katalystspace.com/product/shield
SHIELD is an upgrade that allows satellite operators to deploy scouting units to inspect potential threats at close range.
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https://dorbit.space/
 
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New Space Force EW Unit Pairs Multiple Weapon Systems in a First​

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/new-space-force-ew-unit-meadowlands-bounty-hunter/
The squadron, which will actually have personnel distributed across five locations, will operate both the new Meadowlands system and the Bounty Hunter weapon. Meadowlands is a mobile, ground-based space electronic warfare system made by L3Harris Technologies that can temporarily detect, identify, deny, disrupt and degrade adversary satellite communications and radars. Bounty Hunter is a kind of listening post and defensive EW system used to detect, characterize, geolocate, and report electromagnetic interference and signal jamming that aims to strike U.S. and allied satellite communications.
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White House directs DOD to pursue 48-hour responsive space launch​

https://insidedefense.com/daily-news/white-house-directs-dod-pursue-48-hour-responsive-space-launch
The White House is directing the Defense Department to pursue more rapid and commercially provided access to space, including evaluating whether it can support national security launches within 48 hours of need. A new national space transportation policy issued by President Trump Aug. 20 directs the defense secretary, in coordination with NASA and other agencies, to evaluate within 180 days the regulatory, programmatic, operational and technological barriers to "prompt, responsive, and resilient access to space."
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Scott Kenny said:
Either oversized payloads for New Glenn or reserve space for bigger rockets to come.
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Pretty clear NG; all we are discussing is the payload. I thought their lunar landers were inside the existing 7m, but in the other hand they probably want to design for flexibility around much larger cargo go that they are contemplating a taller, 9 engine version of NG.
 

Space Force tallies $11.6B cost for Boeing-led strategic communications satellite program​

https://insidedefense.com/daily-new...ed-strategic-communications-satellite-program
The Space Force has tallied an $11.6 billion price tag for its Evolved Strategic SATCOM space development and production program, a Boeing-led project to develop and buy seven satellites that will replace the strategic mission of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency constellation and eventually provide protected communications coverage worldwide, including the Arctic. The Space Force has outlined for the first time cost, schedule and quantity estimates for the ESS space segment in an initial Modernized Selected Acquisition Report
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Guys. This is just AI slop. The President of the United States of America posts AI slop to his truth social feed all night long. It doesn't mean anything, don't worry about it.
 
joshjosh said:
Guys. This is just AI slop. The President of the United States of America posts AI slop to his truth social feed all night long. It doesn't mean anything, don't worry about it.
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Sad part is that ai slop is immediately better than the real thing.
Hotel doorman force.
 

Space Force Expects to Spend $17B More on Launch as Demand Soars​

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/space-force-expects-to-spend-17b-more-on-launch-as-demand-soars/
Those increases are revealed in the latest version of the National Security Space Launch program’s selected acquisition report
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The surge in demand comes as the Space Force is planning to field large numbers of satellites in the coming years to support missions like satellite communications, space domain awareness, missile warning, and moving target indication. NSSL also supports the National Reconnaissance Office and other classified customers who are fielding proliferated constellations of their own.
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The growing manifest is also likely to support Golden Dome, a sprawling, layered, missile defense architecture. The Space Force is supporting that program in a few ways, including by developing space-based interceptors that can engage a missile during the boost and midcourse phases of flight. Initial prototypes of those spacecraft are expected to be integrated into the Golden Dome architecture by 2028.

The Space Development Agency is also fielding a missile defense and tracking constellation and recently announced it would add 36 more satellites to that architecture to support Golden Dome. Those satellites are also scheduled to be ready for launch by 2028.
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Flyaway said:
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Looks a little like the UNN uniform on The Expanse.
 

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Okay, so USSF have in-orbit weapon, and its a "space control" weapon (i.e. capable of being used offensively):

https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09...ol-weapons-on-orbit-air-force-secretary-says/

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The US Space Force has launched “space control weapons” into orbit, according to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, the first public acknowledgement from a US government official that America has deployed weapon systems to circle the earth.


“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink said in a keynote address at the Air and Space Forces Association conference here. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”
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My IMHO, it's some kind of space-based jammers, to disrupt communication links and jam enemy sattelites RF sensors. Mainly because anything else (like lasers or space-to-space missiles) would require A - specialized weapon platforms, and B - prolonged testings.
 
joshjosh said:
Guys. This is just AI slop. The President of the United States of America posts AI slop to his truth social feed all night long. It doesn't mean anything, don't worry about it.
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Starship Troopers, the movie, is a satire of facism. It is very concerning that the President of the US sees that movie as inspiration.
 
Dilandu said:
Okay, so USSF have in-orbit weapon, and its a "space control" weapon (i.e. capable of being used offensively):

https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09...ol-weapons-on-orbit-air-force-secretary-says/



My IMHO, it's some kind of space-based jammers, to disrupt communication links and jam enemy sattelites RF sensors. Mainly because anything else (like lasers or space-to-space missiles) would require A - specialized weapon platforms, and B - prolonged testings.
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Concur. My guess would be GNSS and/or downlink jammers.

ETA: the new NRO constellation would be a likely candidate for host platforms.
 
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Desertfox said:
Starship Troopers, the movie, is a satire of facism. It is very concerning that the President of the US sees that movie as inspiration.
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I think you are a little late to the party on the matter.

Were not the dark USSF uniforms some kind of AI generated meme?
 
Addendum: Theresa Hitchens is also a reporter at Breaking Defense. She just posted on LinkedIn that there were rumors that a weapon was in orbit as early as 2019:
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That are believed to be on the GSSAP satellites, probably jammers of some kind.

Interesting to announce this now, and after the CIA recently rushed over to the Kremlin.
 
I would not rule out GPS III’s spotlight feature being a GNSS jammer either, if it is frequency agile. The difference between reinforcing your signal or blocking someone else’s would just be a matter of carrier wave.

I could easily see GSSAP having some kind of capability as well, since they stalks the GEO halo.

But it seems to me the big move to LEO would be ideal for ECM. You would only need 1/100th of the transmission power at 1000km to overwhelm a signal broadcast at 20-40,000 km (GNSS, GEO, Molniya). Plus individual satellites would only need to emit for low tens of minutes, so power usage is easy to manage for an effect on a localized target area. The only challenging aspect would be control and coordination, though presumably not dramatically more difficult the organizing other LEO constellations that do hand offs between satellites. That’s something accomplished all the way back to Iridium.
 
Dilandu said:
Okay, so USSF have in-orbit weapon, and its a "space control" weapon (i.e. capable of being used offensively):

https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09...ol-weapons-on-orbit-air-force-secretary-says/



My IMHO, it's some kind of space-based jammers, to disrupt communication links and jam enemy sattelites RF sensors. Mainly because anything else (like lasers or space-to-space missiles) would require A - specialized weapon platforms, and B - prolonged testings.
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In unrelated news, the US is accusing the PRC of supplying Iran with satellite ISR and targeting for its forces, and a PRC satellite has unexpectedly broken up in orbit.
 

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