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US Space Force will send its first satellite into space today
The US Space Force will kick off its first National Security Mission this afternoon. It's sending a Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) satellite into orbit, onboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The satellite will provide next-gen military communications, and it could prove that Space Force isn't just a Trump administration pipe dream.
Trump signs directive explaining his 'Space Force'
Following weeks of speculation, Donald Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 4 during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, a document which explains how his administration will establish his Space Force. "Just as we've done in ages past, the United States meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield," Vice President Pence said during a speech last August. "The time has come to establish the United States Space Force." Under the plan signed today, the Pentagon would form a sixth branch of the armed services under the Air Force, then recruit a civilian administrator to act as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space (a position appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate), before building or acquiring the satellite technology necessary to engage in space-based combat missions. This differs from Trump's initial plan released last June that would have seen the Space Force operating on "separate but equal" footing with the Air Force. Trump's pet NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, has already thrown his support behind the plan. However the administration may not see the same enthusiasm from Congress, especially the Democrat-controlled House, which must approve the plan and grant funding before it can move forward. How much funding will be needed is, unsurprisingly, not well established. Trump's Acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, initially quoted a price of less than $5 billion in order to establish the new branch. The Air Force, conversely, figures it will need at least $13 billion to get the USSF off the ground. "There's a thousand now decisions that have to be made to be able to work through the intricate details of how we move forward in establishing the service within the Department of the Air Force," General David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, told reporters during a press conference at the Brookings Institute on Tuesday. Despite the numerous hurdles that will need to be cleared before the Space Force actually comes into existence, the President remains confident in the program's ultimate success. "I'm very proud that during my administration we're doing so much in space. We need it," Trump said during the signing ceremony.
Netflix announces ‘Space Force’ comedy series starring Steve Carell
If you've missed The Office and Steve Carell's Michael Scott, Netflix's latest series announcement may be a bit of welcome news. In a video, which you can see below, Netflix has revealed a new workplace comedy called Space Force, which will center on the (fictional) folks tasked with getting President Trump's Space Force up and running.
The Air Force's long-awaited GPS upgrade begins tomorrow (update)
It's been in the works for over a decade, but now the current Global Positioning System (GPS) is about to start getting its multibillion-dollar upgrade thanks to SpaceX's first-ever GPS satellite launch. After delays across the last four years, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to launch the United States Air Force's first Global Positioning System III space vehicle from from Cape Canaveral between 9:11AM ET and 9:37AM ET this morning (December 18th, 2018). However, the launch has been pushed to tomorrow morning at 9:07AM ET "due to an out of family reading on first stage sensors."
After Math: Space Farce
It takes a special breed of bureaucrat to look upon the majesty of the cosmos and think to themself, "man, I can't wait to get up there and start a war," but these are the times in which we live. So while the Trump administration spent this week eyeing the stars for something to shoot, NASA and the private space industry continued in their missions to explore the solar system without blowing everything up along the way.
Vice President Pence lays out plan to create Space Force
Vice President Mike Pence has detailed a plan to establish Space Force as a new military branch. In a Pentagon speech, he laid out proposals to form a US Space Command (as was previously reported) that would focus on defending space. White House officials aim to establish Space Command by the end of the year and have a four-star general in place to lead it.
Leak provides early details for Trump's proposed Space Force
Congress is still a long way off from greenlighting Trump's proposed Space Force, but that isn't stopping the Pentagon from outlining plans for the new military branch. Defense One has obtained a leaked draft proposal that reveals some of the potential changes. The military would move quickly, creating a US Space Command by the end of 2018 that watches over space operations across the armed forces. The Pentagon would recommend that the leader of Air Force Space Command also head up this new division. Simultaneously, officials would establish a Space Operations Force that would include personnel (including civilians) from the whole military. It'd be ready quickly -- "space experts" would go to the European and Indo-Pacific Commands by summer 2019.
NASA chief backs Trump's Space Force proposal
Whatever you think of Trump's proposed Space Force, it has at least one ally in its corner: recently-installed (and Trump-selected) NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. In an interview with Axios, Bridenstine argued that space was becoming "more contested" and that the US had to be "willing to defend" space in order to maintain it. He argued that the Chinese and Russians were developing not only anti-satellite missiles, but co-orbital satellite weapons, jammers and other spaceborne threats. Allegedly, the Chinese see the US' lack of space weapons as an "Achilles' heel" it could exploit.
Trump directs Pentagon to form a Space Force military branch
It looks like the US could have a sixth military branch sometime in the future, one focused entirely on space. President Trump said during a National Space Council meeting today that he has called for the development of a Space Force, CNBC reports. "I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," he said. "Our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity but a matter of national security."
