Modernization
Emerging small sats could complicate spectrum
While small satellites can expand broadband access, they will also fill increasingly crowded airwaves.
Emerging Tech
A Startling Spike on Mars
Methane gas is a potential indicator of life on the red planet, but it’s proving difficult to track.
Cybersecurity
Report: Pentagon Should Assume U.S. Satellites Are Already Hacked
As U.S. and its allies tether more of their military operations to government and commercial satellites, they need to start taking cybersecurity more seriously.
People
Lawmaker worried about DOD leadership shuffle
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) worries U.S. defenses in space could be at risk due to lack of permanent leadership at the Pentagon.
Emerging Tech
A Robot Has Been Stuck on Mars for Months
NASA will conduct a delicate rescue mission to free a probe trapped just inches below the red planet’s surface.
Digital Government
NASA Managers and Contractors Significantly Lowballed Space Mission Costs, Watchdog Found
Despite cost overruns and schedule delays, the space agency awarded Boeing and Lockheed Martin $200 million in performance awards, GAO noted.
Emerging Tech
Inside the Growing Problem of Space Debris
Technology alone may not be enough to address it.
Policy
The True Price of Privatizing Space Travel
As NASA opens up the International Space Station to private astronauts, the romance of space will be within reach for those who can afford it.
Digital Government
‘Space Force’ Shrinks in House Proposal
A bipartisan amendment would trim several generals from the new space-focused component.
Digital Government
What If We Gave Up on the Stars?
The night sky is already dotted with shiny satellites and other artificial lights. One day, maybe that’s all there will be.
Policy
Space Force Clears Senate Committee After House Attempt to Stall
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s legislation “greatly increases the odds that we end up with some sort of a Space Force,” one expert says.
Policy
House Panel Rejects Space Force
The Pentagon’s arguments are unconvincing, a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee says.
Emerging Tech
NRO Is Offering $500K For Experimental Surveillance Tech
The National Reconnaissance Office revealed six areas for the 2019 cohort of the Director’s Innovation Initiative.
Digital Government
Even Astronauts Binge-Watch TV While in Space
In a cramped and isolated environment like a space station, leisure activities are extra important for maintaining mental health.
Policy
CBO: Space Force Could Cost $3B Up Front, $1.3B Annually
The new independent analysis comes as lawmakers weigh the creation of a new branch of the military.
Emerging Tech
How Humans Will Design the First Full-Time Habitat on the Moon
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), in partnership with the ESA and MIT, wants to accommodate research and maybe even tourism on the moon.
Emerging Tech
The Pentagon is Investing in Space Robots to Repair Satellites
The robots would service military, government and commercial spacecraft more than 22,000 miles above the Earth.
Ideas
New Technology May Soon Require a Dedicated Space Force
Whether a Space Force exists or not, the Pentagon's research arm is looking at space strategically.
Emerging Tech
IARPA is Investing in AI That Constantly Analyzes Worldwide Satellite Images
The IC envisions a system that can stitch together archived and real-time data from satellites, and link it to footage from planes, drones and other aircraft.
Digital Government