Symposium Sessions
Rapid Research Expected to Bring Change to Orbit
Artificial intelligence, rapid prototyping, and lightning-fast test programs in orbit will dominate the landscape as the Space Force looks to boost its research, development and testing budget to an unprecedented $40 billion proposed for 2027, panelists told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Thursday.
Panel: New Rules, New Defenses Could Bring Order to Booming Growth in Orbit
Maintaining access to space in a more crowded and contested environment will require new infrastructure, manufacture of new launch vehicles, and a clear set of “red line” rules to keep rogue actors in line, a panel of experts told a 41st Space Symposium audience Thursday.
Air Force, Space Force Chiefs Say Acquisition Speed Now Must Shift to Production Speed
Space Force acquisition is on a wartime footing, with cash already flowing to encourage companies to deliver capability at mass-production scale, Space Systems Command’s Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. Speedy simplicity in satellite design is the priority over the complex perfection once sought by the Pentagon,…
Saltzman Reveals Space Force Roadmap for 2040 Requirements
The Space Force will need thousands of additional Guardians, hundreds of new satellites, and a suite of new capabilities to fight and win as the space domain grows more contested in the next 15 years, Chief Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman told a crowd at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. Saltzman debuted Space…
Meink Promises Rapid Technological Change for Space Force
Rapid procurement, lower launch costs, and game-changing technologies will put more capabilities in the hands of Space Force Guardians in months rather than years or decades, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a capacity crowd gathered at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. “This is the moment when the Space Force comes of age,” Meink said. The secretary is the…
Trump Administration Pushes Nuclear for Spacecraft, Moon
At the 41st Space Symposium on Tuesday, the White House announced a new push for nuclear power in space that includes requiring NASA and the Department of War to initiate design plans for reactors in cislunar orbit and on the lunar surface. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy…
U.S. Space Command Plans for Maneuver Warfare in Orbit
April 14, Colorado Springs — U.S. Space Command’s Gen. Stephen Whiting told a Tuesday morning audience at the 41st Space Symposium that he needs satellites that can reposition when necessary to maintain dominance in space. The focus on maneuver warfare is new and would require innovations, to include on-orbit servicing, to accomplish. The general didn’t offer specifics but cited China’s flights of two satellites in 2025 that demonstrated on-orbit servicing and coordinated maneuvers. Those…
Artemis II Sets Distance Record and Names Craters During Science Survey
Astronauts aboard Artemis II became the first humans to fly more than 250,000 miles from Earth just before noon on Monday as their Orion crew capsule passed the Moon on a figure-8 flight back to Earth, where they are expected to splash down off the California coast on Friday. Artemis II surpassed Apollo 13’s record…
Veteran Lockheed Martin Engineer Driving Artemis Beyond Apollo’s Success
Blaine Brown has worked 40 years for Lockheed Martin and spent half his career on the Orion spacecraft. He remains as enthusiastic about human spaceflight as he was in the 1980s. “The pay is good, but there are a lot of easier jobs you could have and make money,” said Brown, who joined the Orion project at its earliest stage in 2005. “The inspiration…
Artemis Booster Expert Keeps NASA’s Solid Rocket Boosters Flight-Ready
For 37 years, Steve Nielson has been the man in the middle, joining sections of Northrop Grumman solid rocket boosters, first for the space shuttle and now for Artemis. He’s one of the last people left on the planet with an encyclopedic understanding of the seals, which hold back millions of pounds of thrust per booster. “There are only…