U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program launched the USSF-36 mission carrying the U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) spacecraft, at 11:50 p.m. EST (8:50 p.m. PST) into orbit Aug. 21 from historic Launch Complex (LC)-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. (Photo credit: SpaceX)
During the on-orbit mission, dubbed OTV-8, the Boeing-made spacecraft will conduct a wide range of tests and experiments focused on laser communication tech and quantum inertial sensors,…
Developed under SDA's Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES) program, the platform will test tactical satellite communication capabilities on orbit.
The mission was executed just three months after the Space Force notified industry to prepare for liftoff, the second time the service has launched a GPS III…
Troy Meink appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his nomination to be secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C., March 27, 2025. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom)
On-orbit laser communications are a critical enabling technology for the Space Development Agency's planned mega-constellation known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Transporter 12 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 14, 2025. Its payload includes Otter, an NPS CubeSat suite. (Credit: SpaceX)
