??What Does The U.S. Space Force Do?
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The United States Space Force has asked the commercial space industry for feedback on its draft plan for a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR). Released through a request for information, the draft plan includes several questions about whether the proposed incentives are enough to encourage commercial companies to participate in U.S. Space Force-led missions and projects.
This initiative is part of the U.S. Space Force's strategy to leverage the nation's flourishing commercial space sector for innovation. The Space Development Agency (SDA), its division for cutting-edge projects, often leads these private sector initiatives, which are only a part of the organization's larger role in America's space endeavours.
Read on to learn about CASR, how the U.S. Space Force contributes to the nation's space objectives, and this week's top Space news.
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Space News Highlight ?
Space Force Seeks Industry Input On Draft Civil Reserve Framework
The U.S. Space Force has released a request for information for feedback from private companies on its draft plan for a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve. The framework proposes two levels of industry involvement. The first level supports regular and surge operations through pre-negotiated agreements. The second level, known as “full CASR execution,” kicks in when the Secretary of Defense orders top-priority support from commercial participants.
At this point, the Space Force can require companies to cut off service to their other customers, if necessary, to focus on military needs. This has resulted in concern about the potential loss of income if companies are required to deny service to other customers during a crisis. To address this, the RFI asks for feedback on nine proposed incentives, such as early R&D funding, preferred contract status with the Space Force, and financial protections against potential losses if satellites are damaged during operations.
Submissions are due September 6, 2024.
??What Does The U.S. Space Force Do?
The U.S. Space Force reflects a very real trend: the growing role of space as a warfighting domain and its ongoing militarization. Geopolitical competition coupled with technological developments have made Earth’s orbit a hot asset that the US is keen to control. Only five years after its creation, the Space Force’s budget has already surpassed NASA’s. While the space force military branch’s activities remain in Earth’s orbit for the time being, the role it plays in the next era of exploration could become a deciding factor in humanity’s future in space.
How the Space Force Operates
There are a few different ways the Space Force carries out its missions:
Much of the SF’s hardware is decades old; as the youngest military branch, it inherited many existing systems (as well as staff and locations) previously operated by other entities. More recently, the SF has been turning to the US’s flourishing commercial space sector for new hardware, often led by the Space Development Agency (SDA), its division for cutting-edge projects. Here, the strategy is to deploy constellations comprised of scores of smaller satellites rather than a few big ones, making the system more resilient to enemy attacks; if one satellite is disabled, it doesn’t mean the end for the whole system.
The Space Force's Mission and Objectives
Modern warfare, intelligence, and defense rely heavily on space; satellites are used for spying and surveillance, military communications, navigation, and more. One of the easiest ways to disable a country’s military and way of life is to knock out a few of its satellites. Especially for the US and its thousands of satellites, orbit is a bit of an Achilles’ heel.
So the US Space Force’s mission isn’t just to keep an eye on orbit; it’s also in charge of building up, protecting its own military space assets, and developing offensive capabilities. Its official mission declares its responsibility for ‘organizing, training, and equipping Guardians to conduct global space operations that enhance the way our joint and coalition forces fight, while also offering decision-makers military options to achieve national objectives’. The SF’s official functions, as laid out by the US Department of Defense (DoD), are to provide freedom of operation for the United States in, from, and to space; provide prompt and sustained space operations; protect the interests of the United States in space; deter aggression in, from, and to space; and conduct space operations.
Current Operations and Activities
Since it’s such a secretive entity, it’s impossible to say what exactly the US Space Force is up to in orbit. What’s known is that it operates a constantly growing fleet of in-orbit satellites whose specialties range from navigation to communication to spying to weaponry – though the branch keeps mum about the latter.
The Space Force's biggest constellation is the GPS system, consisting of 31 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It’s also responsible for several smaller military communications constellations in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO), missile detection systems, and a couple of satellites designed to peek at other nearby machines.
The branch is also working with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) —another US agency that specializes in spy satellites—to develop SilentBarker, an orbital system capable of detecting threats in GEO.
The branch’s most mysterious project is undoubtedly flying the Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane; this unmanned vehicle is operated by Delta 9 – responsible for orbital warfare – and spends years in orbit apparently conducting highly classified experiments.
U.S. Space Force's Challenges and Future Directions
The USSF frequently cites the rise of China’s space prowess as an existential threat and the primary reason for its growth. The young branch is under constant pressure from the US Congress to modernize faster and build up its new infrastructure at light speed.
Still, China’s actions lag far behind those of the US. This is clear from the sheer amount of satellites the US operates, both military and commercial, and how many times its rockets launch; SpaceX recently achieved a cadence of launching once every 2.8 days. However, this proficiency – which hinges primarily on SpaceX – is also one of its greatest weaknesses. While SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration following a failure of an upper stage in space, the USSF had few other options to get to orbit, highlighting the organization’s heavy reliance on the company as most of SpaceX’s domestic competition has yet to establish a steady supply of rockets.
But the USSF’s increased militarization of space, which could soon expand beyond Earth’s orbit, lays the groundwork for a more dramatic issue. For now, both the US and China are developing weapons designed to mess with each other’s satellites, all the while constantly accusing the other of militarizing space and creating a dangerous environment. As both nations plan to land humans on the lunar south pole within the decade, it’s easy to see how their military rivalry could spill over into their civilian exploration programs.
The extent to which the US and China’s militaries will be involved in deep space missions could determine not just who controls it but also whether exploration is peaceful or perilous. But, as Peter Garretson , a senior fellow in defense policy at the American Foreign Policy Council , stated, ‘power abhors a vacuum’ – which is, after all, what space is. Chances are, someone’s going to fill it. And the US, by means of both NASA and the SF, is betting on itself.
Read the full article by Julia Seibert about what the U.S. Space Force does here .
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Space Industry Quote of the Week ??
"In terms of the space domain, we are standing in a period of history that is marked by challenges and opportunities much like the Interwar Period between World Wars in the Twentieth Century. Just one hundred years ago, technology advancements made the air domain essential for overarching strategic advantage. Human’s ability to conquer the skies created entirely new security challenges that demanded air superiority relative to strategic competitors. Today, this Command faces strategic competitors who aim to deny space’s inherent benefits from us, our Allies, and Partners. Space, unlike the skies over land and sea, has no physical limit and presents an expanding security challenge that is now central to all-domain security activities."
- General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander, U.S. Space Command 's statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee about the Fiscal Year 2025 Priorities and Posture of United States Space Command
Weekly Space News Roundup ??
Muon Space has completed a $56.7 million Series B funding round led by Activate Capital with participation from ACME Capital , Costanoa Ventures , Radical Ventures , and Congruent Ventures . This funding will accelerate the development of Muon’s Halo? Platform and enable the company to enhance its services for a growing customer base. Muon Space has secured over $100 million in committed customer contracts in 2024 for its Halo LEO satellites, including an agreement with SNC to develop and deliver three next-generation satellites for SNC’s Vindler constellation. The first block of Muon satellites is scheduled for launch in 2025.
Interstellar Technologies Inc. has successfully raised 3.1 billion yen (~ USD 21 million) in its Series E round with participation from new investors, including SBI Group , NTT DOCOMO , and Resona Bank. This brings the company’s total funding to around 17 billion yen (~ USD 116 million), including subsidies. Interstellar Technologies aims to become Japan’s first vertically integrated rocket and satellite startup. The company is working on developing the ZERO orbital-class launch vehicle and ‘Satellite Communication 3.0’.
Dcubed has raised €4.4 million in its Series-A funding round led by Expansion and BayBG with participation from HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds , Aurelia Foundry , Ventis, Rymdkapital and Decisive Point Europe. The funding round was oversubscribed by 26%. With the new investment, Dcubed plans to quadruple the production of its satellite actuators by the end of 2024. The company will also open a U.S. office in Westminster, Colorado, to tap into the world’s largest space market and strengthen its global presence. Dcubed’s roadmap includes being able to demonstrate 3D-printing a high-performance satellite solar array in free space by 2025.
Perceptive Space has emerged from stealth mode and secured $3.9 million CAD in pre-seed funding to enhance space weather forecasts using artificial intelligence. The funding round, led by Panache Ventures and involving AI and space tech-focused investors such as Metaplanet , 7percent Ventures , Mythos Ventures , and AIN Ventures , closed in May. Perceptive aims to serve the space and defense markets in the US and allied countries, with early commitments from satellite operators and launch providers.
Ethereal Exploration Guild , a Bengaluru-based space tech startup, has raised $5 million USD (INR 42 crore) in a seed funding round. The investment was led by YourNest Venture Capital , with participation from BIG Global Investments JSC, Bluehill Capital , Campus Fund, and Golden Sparrow Ventures. The funds will help EtherealX develop engines for its fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, the Razor Crest Mk-1 with plans to validate the technology with a Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (TDV) scheduled to launch in 2026.
Indra has signed a contract with Grupo Elecnor to acquire Deimos , which will enhance the company’s space capabilities with satellite integration and critical flight subsystem expertise. This acquisition also boosts Indra’s capabilities in the ground segment, particularly in control and mission software, as well as space surveillance and tracking. The deal aligns with Indra’s recent strategy to boost its space capabilities, including the Indra Space spin-off and the creation of Space NewCo, and is expected to close in the last quarter of the year, pending regulatory approvals.
Firefly Aerospace has signed its second multi-launch agreement with L3Harris Technologies for up to 20 launches on Firefly’s Alpha rocket. This agreement includes two to four missions per year from 2027 to 2031, depending on customer needs and builds on an existing agreement for three Alpha missions in 2026. Following a recent Alpha launch for NASA, Firefly has accelerated vehicle production. The company’s Briggs, Texas facility now includes an automated fiber placement machine, allowing rapid building and testing of Alpha’s carbon composite structures.
Blue Skies Space ’s first satellite, Mauve, will launch in October 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket with the Transporter-15 rideshare program. Mauve will carry a 13 cm telescope designed to observe hundreds of stars in ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. The resulting data will enhance the understanding of stellar magnetic activity and flares and their impact on the habitability of exoplanets. The satellite’s development timeline—spanning less than three years from concept to launch—reflects a new model for the rapid deployment of science satellites.
Anduril Industries has secured $1.5 billion in a Series F funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to $14 billion. Founders Fund and Sands Capital led the funding round, which included participation from 富达 , Counterpoint Global, Baillie Gifford , Altimeter , and Franklin Venture Partners. This new funding aims to scale Anduril’s defense manufacturing capabilities to meet the growing demand for autonomous weapons systems. A significant portion of the investment is planned to go toward Arsenal, Anduril’s new manufacturing platform designed to produce tens of thousands of autonomous systems for modern warfare.
ispace, inc. has entered into a consulting agreement with Komatsu ?to advance the development of construction machinery designed for the Moon’s challenging environment. As part of its future vision, Komatsu plans to create construction equipment capable of operating on the lunar surface. Under the agreement, ispace will leverage its expertise to guide Komatsu in selecting the right space-tested components and materials. ispace’s experience in designing space-test equipment will also play a crucial role in this collaboration.
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Chief Executive | DoD/NRO Space Acquisition Expert | Thought Leader | Advisor | Veteran | Pilot | Father | Elara Nova: Space Consultancy Senior Partner
1 个月SAC-D FY25 mark only requests $7M for CASR (attached), USSF is looking to"try" CASR on the Cheap. IF Commercial SATCOM is important the DoD and USSF leadership like they say it is, they would fund it accordingly, just like they do for Air Force CRAF program. Maybe a little public showing of light on the subject shortfall will help educate USSF leadership.? My 2-cents.
Chief Executive | DoD/NRO Space Acquisition Expert | Thought Leader | Advisor | Veteran | Pilot | Father | Elara Nova: Space Consultancy Senior Partner
1 个月Ask USSF leaders the Hard Question: The DoD allocates $2.5B each year for peacetime CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET (CRAF) funded contracts... Why has USSF Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) program not done this for commercial space industry?