Military Space - Spacecraft, Weapons and Tech

Military forces have a long association with spaceflight, with modern rockets evolving from missiles developed during World War II. Today's armed forces rely on space-based assets for reconnaissance, weather tracking, communication, navigation and more. The U.S. Air Force regularly launches GPS and missile-defense tracking satellites, and operates two classified X-37B robotic space planes. Learn more about military satellites, space weapon, the Space Force and more here.

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NASA Chief Honors US Military in Veterans Day Video

November 12, 2018 | Article

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine marked Veterans Day 2018 with a video message to honor the dedication and sacrifice of all military veterans and servicemembers in the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Massive Solar Eruptions 'Probably' Detonated Dozens of US Sea Mines in Vietnam War

November 12, 2018 | Article

An extraordinary account of the impact space weather had on military operations in Vietnam in 1972 was found buried in the U.S. Navy archives, according to a newly published article in Space Weather.
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Elon Musk Backs Space Force Proposal

November 05, 2018 | Article

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk says he supports the concept of establishing a separate Space Force.
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Space Force Discussions Increasingly Blur the Line Between Military and Civilian Space

November 04, 2018 | Article

Pence says space exploration is a civilian operation done by NASA but the president also believes that "making sure that we have the security in space to advance human space exploration is the underpinning of the Space Force."
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Air Force Launches $100K Challenge for 'Space Awareness Innovators'

November 04, 2018 | Article

The Air Force Visionary Q-Prize competition is set to run from Oct. 29 through Jan. 15, 2019.
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The US Shot Down a Fake Nuclear Missile in Space with Another Missile (Video)

November 02, 2018 | Article

It was the second-ever success for the joint missile defense program, and a stunning technological accomplishment.
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Space Has Always Been Militarized, Just Not Weaponized — Not Yet, Anyway

November 01, 2018 | Article

In a recent meeting of the National Space Council on Oct. 23, officials discussed how to implement the Space Force; over and over, they've pointed to the long history of American military leadership in space as justification for the organizational need.
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Russia Launches Military Satellite in First Flight Since Soyuz Rocket Failure

October 25, 2018 | Article

The Russian space agency Roscosmos has successfully executed its first rocket launch since Oct. 11's aborted crew launch to the International Space Station.
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The History of Rockets

October 25, 2018 | Reference

The principles of rockets go back thousands of years, but rockets have come quite a long way since ancient times.
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ULA Now Planning First Launch of Vulcan in 2021

October 25, 2018 | Article

United Launch Alliance now expects to perform the first launch of its next-generation Vulcan rocket in the spring of 2021, a slip of nearly a year that the company says is due to requirements of a recent Air Force award.
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