Defense

Space industry coverage tagged Defense from Outer Space Today.

• EU Commission Seeks to Devote Half of 131-Billion-Euro Defense and Space Budget to Space

  September 11, 2026

  The European Commission wants space programs to receive 50 percent of its proposed seven-year military and space budget of 131 billion euros ($152.3 billion), Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said in Paris. The allocation would channel roughly 65 billion euros to space over the 2028 to 2034 period. The proposal is part of the Commission's Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) budget covering 2028 to 2034. That budget is still under debate by the European Parliament and the Europ

• Antares Wins $161M Space Force Award to Demonstrate Nuclear Reactor in Orbit

  September 11, 2026

  Antares has been selected for a $161 million Strategic Breakthrough award to advance nuclear power for space, the company announced September 11. The selection, made by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, marks the largest current Department of War award in space nuclear power. The award directs Antares to carry a nuclear-powered spacecraft toward flight qualification. It supports goals set in Executive Order 14369, "Ensuring American Sp

• MDA Space Launches Defence Variant of Aurora Software-Defined Satellite

  September 10, 2026

  MDA Space has introduced MDA Aurora Black, a defence-focused extension of its Aurora software-defined satellite product line built to deliver secure and resilient communications for government and military customers. The company announced the product on September 10, 2026, positioning it to address military satellite communications requirements in contested environments. The new product builds on the existing Aurora line's flexibility, scalability and performance features, adding layers of prot

• Space Force Moves Toward New GPS Ground Control Program Months After OCX Cancellation

  September 10, 2026

  The U.S. Space Force appears ready to launch a new program to modernize the GPS ground command-and-control segment, less than six months after canceling the troubled Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as OCX. The effort would upgrade the ground infrastructure that operates the GPS satellite constellation. The move follows the cancellation of the beleaguered OCX contract earlier this year. A notice dated Sept. 2 from the Space Enterprise Consortium, headlined "Coming," signaled th

• Space Force Picks Lake Kickapoo, Texas, To Complete DARC Radar Triad

  September 10, 2026

  The U.S. Space Force has selected a remote location near Lake Kickapoo in northern Texas as the third and final site for its next-generation ground-based space domain awareness network. The choice completes a three-site global triad designed to track objects in deep space, including in geostationary orbit. The decision, announced September 9, identifies Lake Kickapoo as the preferred location for the third Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability, or DARC, installation. The program is run by the Sp

• SpaceX Sets Vandenberg Launch of Classified USSF-153 Space Force Mission

  September 10, 2026

  SpaceX is preparing to launch USSF-153, a classified mission for the United States Space Force, aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is targeted for 15:42 UTC on September 10, 2026, within a three-hour window opening at 15:37 UTC. The mission carries an undisclosed number of satellites and marks another instance of the Space Force relying on SpaceX hardware for a secretive payload. The mission launches from Space Launch Complex 4E, the pad SpaceX typically uses fo

• Canada Opens Direct Space Career Path for Enlisted Members

  September 10, 2026

  The Canadian Armed Forces created a new occupation this summer allowing non-commissioned members to enroll and build careers as space professionals from the outset, rather than transferring in from other trades. Brig. Gen. Chris Horner disclosed the move on a Sept. 4 episode of the CGAI Podcast Network's Defence Deconstructed, describing it as one of the "little things that didn't get announced" alongside the government's public space announcements this year. Horner, Commander of 3 Canadian Spa

• Space Force Clears Design Review for Second Batch of MEO Missile-Warning Satellites

  September 9, 2026

  The U.S. Space Force has completed the critical design review for the second batch of its new missile warning and tracking satellites destined for medium Earth orbit, Space Systems Command announced Sept. 8. The milestone advances the MEO layer of the service's next-generation missile-warning architecture. The design review covered 10 new satellites built by BAE Systems. Moving missile warning to medium Earth orbit is a central element of the Space Force's plan to track hypersonic and advanced

• U.S. Space Command Completes First Exercise on Dynamic Satellite Maneuvers

  September 9, 2026

  U.S. Space Command has completed its first exercise focused on how military satellites could move more dynamically in orbit. The exercise used actual spacecraft operating across low, medium and geosynchronous orbits, demonstrating the ability to reposition assets across different orbital regimes. The exercise marks an early step in testing maneuver operations that span multiple orbital regimes rather than a single band. By exercising with real spacecraft across low, medium and geosynchronous or

• AvL Technologies Wins $31 Million Deal to Supply WGS-Certified Satellite Terminals to Poland

  September 8, 2026

  AvL Technologies signed a $31 million contract with Polish defense supplier GISS Sp. z o.o. to deliver WGS-certified tactical satellite communications terminals for Poland's Ministry of National Defence. The agreement, announced September 8, 2026, ties Polish forces to the U.S. military's Wideband Global SATCOM constellation and expands the Asheville, North Carolina, manufacturer's presence in NATO defense markets. The award follows Poland's accelerated military modernization efforts across Eas

• UK Unveils £7.8 Billion Space Strategy Centred on Defence and Satellite Communications

  September 8, 2026

  The UK government launched a new national space strategy on Tuesday, backed by a record £7.8 billion to 2030, that unites investment in growth, defence, and national security under a single plan. The strategy treats space as an increasingly important domain for national security and includes plans to design a resilient, integrated national satellite communications system. The strategy formally replaces the previous National Space Strategy published in 2021 and will support delivery of the Moder

• Gilmour Space and Hypersonix Join Forces on Australian Hypersonic Flight Testing

  September 8, 2026

  Queensland aerospace companies Gilmour Space Technologies and Hypersonix have signed an agreement to develop hypersonic flight-test capability for defence and commercial programs in Australia and overseas. The partnership pairs Gilmour Space's rocket propulsion and launch capabilities with Hypersonix's scramjet propulsion and hypersonic vehicle technology, and was announced in Canberra on September 8, 2026. The agreement combines Gilmour Space's rocket propulsion, launch, mission integration an