A Colorado company displayed at the Air & Space Force Association’s annual conference this week a model of a new very heavy lift cargo jet it is designing. Though still in its aspirational phase, Radia’s WindRunner concept comes at a time when the future of heavy lift cargo capabilities is in question, including within the…
By Alexandra Alper WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump’s Navy and Air Force are poised to cancel two nearly complete software projects that took 12 years and well over $800 million combined to develop, work initially aimed at overhauling antiquated human resources systems. The reason for the unusual move: officials at those departments, who have so far…
The new space race is heating up, with the United States warning that its major rival China is narrowing the gap as it makes rapid technology gains. While China says its ambitious plans remain peaceful and that it rejects the weaponisation of space, some of the technologies it has developed in recent years also have…
A top Space Force general said Tuesday that commercial systems have observed Chinese satellites rehearsing “dogfighting” maneuvers in low Earth orbit — the U.S. adversary’s latest show of tactical and technological advancement in space capabilities. “With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other…
China is making progress on potentially “game-changing” space technology, fuelling American concerns that the gap between the two sides is narrowing, according to a US Space Force official. The comments follow the launch in January of China’s Shijian-25 satellite, which tested technologies that allow refuelling in orbit and to extend the life of spacecraft, according…
Overview: The Space Force, still in its infancy at five years old, must overcome systemic issues, including inadequate resources, unclear roles, and a lack of warfighting ethos, says a new report by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force lacks the resources and warrior mentality needed to compete with China…
Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the defence ministry, accused the US of “continuing to expand its space military capabilities, strengthening space military alliances and provoking a space arms race”, saying its actions have “jeopardised global strategic stability”. “We urge the US to seriously examine its dangerous actions in the space domain, cease provoking space confrontations…
The GuoWang internet satellites, launched this week as the first step in China’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, featured notable differences from their US counterpart. Not only are the Chinese satellites “huge” and “heavyweight”, but they were also arranged inside the launch vehicle in a unique double-decker type of layout, according to the China Academy…
A Chinese national has been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California’s Santa Barbara County. Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was taken into custody at San Francisco International Airport just before boarding a flight to China, according to the Justice Department. Zhou, a resident of Brentwood, has been charged with violating…
ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Space Force is strengthening its partnership with Japan in a bid to counter China’s growing dominance in the space domain. The collaboration includes advancing shared capabilities in space object surveillance in order to track increasingly sophisticated Chinese satellites capable of dynamically altering their orbits. Speaking at the Spacepower Conference on…