Tracking #DOGE’s impact on space and the federal workforce .The White House and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency have spent the first weeks of Donald Trump’s new administration looking to reduce the number of federal workers and shrink spending.

The cuts have followed roughly the same formula from agency to agency. What does that mean for space? It’s challenging to track every corner of the federal workforce that works on space, making it difficult to determine exactly how many jobs have been lost.

Below are the latest developments for each department, including what we don’t know. #SpaceNews reporters are on Signal and welcome tips.

U.S. #military spaceplane completes 7th mission, including advanced orbital maneuvers .

The secretive X-37B military spaceplane touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 7, concluding its seventh mission after spending more than 434 days in orbit, the U.S. Space Force announced.

Designated Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the autonomous spacecraft launched on December 28, 2023, marking several firsts for the program – including its first flight aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket and operations in a highly elliptical Earth orbit (HEO).

“Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B’s ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in a statement following the landing.

The Space Force considers the mission particularly significant for its demonstration of aerobraking maneuvers — a technique that uses atmospheric drag during multiple orbital passes to change the spacecraft’s trajectory while conserving fuel. This capability provides tactical advantages that align with the Space Force’s growing focus on space domain awareness and orbital agility.

The Trump administration has suspended U.S. satellite imagery support for Ukraine, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency confirmed March 7.

The decision cuts off Ukraine’s access to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) commercial satellite imagery platform, which since 2022 provided Ukraine electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from multiple commercial remote sensing satellites.

“In accordance with the Administration’s directive on support to Ukraine, NGA has temporarily suspended access to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system, or GEGD, which is the primary portal for access to U.S. government-purchased commercial imagery,” an NGA spokesperson said in a statement.

Space Force chief observes Starship test launch, signaling military interest.


Gen. Chance Saltzman, the U.S. Space Force’s chief of space operations, visited SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica this week, and attended the sixth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket on Nov. 19.

Saltzman watched the Starship launch alongside SpaceX founder Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump and a number of lawmakers.

A Space Force spokesperson confirmed Saltzman was invited by SpaceX to observe the test flight and participated in two days of program reviews.

“The Department of the Air Force and the U.S. Space Force are monitoring Starship’s progress and look forward to potentially leveraging its capabilities in the future,” the spokesperson said.

The flight test marked a key step in SpaceX’s ambitious plans for the fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle.
https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/1858995829014753522

Starship, when fully assembled with its Super Heavy booster, stands an imposing 400 feet tall. The vehicle is designed to transport both crew and cargo to destinations ranging from Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.

While no immediate commitments have been made to integrate Starship into military operations, Saltzman’s presence signals military interest in the technology.

The Space Force depends heavily on SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets for national security satellite launches. But Starship, with its massive payload capacity, has the potential to support military logistics and space operations.

One of the most intriguing possibilities under evaluation is using Starship as a rapid global transport system. The Space Force and the Air Force are exploring concepts where Starship could replace traditional military airlift platforms like the C-17 Globemaster III, potentially delivering personnel and cargo to any point on Earth in under an hour.

One potential scenario involves using Starship as a mass transportation platform to launch satellites into low Earth orbit, with subsequent orbital transfer vehicles taking the payloads to their final destinations.

Space Force chief calls for greater focus on ‘space superiority’.

In pointed remarks that emphasized the military nature of America’s newest service branch, the head of the U.S. Space Force called on its members to embrace their role as warriors in space.

Speaking March 3 at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Warfare Conference in Aurora, Colorado, Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, insisted that guardians — as Space Force personnel are known — must view themselves as war fighters on par with their counterparts in other military branches.

“We must think of space as a war fighting domain, rather than just a collection of support activities,” Saltzman said.

Saltzman’s remarks come in the wake of a recent report that called into question the Space Force’s “warfighting ethos,” suggesting the service has prioritized defensive satellite protection over developing offensive capabilities needed to deter adversaries.
Focus on space control

The ability to contest and dominate the domain during conflicts is what the Space Force strives for, he said.

“Space control is how the Space Force achieves space superiority,” Saltzman said, meaning the ability to contest and control the space domain during conflict, allowing the United States to operate without interference while denying adversaries the same advantage.

“Domain control is the special province of war fighters, a unique responsibility that only military services hold. It is the thing that distinguishes the Navy from the Merchant Marine and the Air Force from Southwest Airlines.”

Saltzman made clear this control function is what separates the Space Force from civilian space agencies, commercial satellite operators, and even the service’s own historical roots.

“It’s not enough to just deliver services from orbit anymore,” he said. “It’s not enough to monitor health and status in a benign environment, to design satellites to last in the harsh environment of space. While this is still necessary, it’s no longer sufficient.”

Space control capabilities would employ both kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary space systems through disruption, degradation, and potentially destruction if necessary, according to Saltzman. These capabilities could be used “for both offensive and defensive purposes at the direction of combatant commands.”

Saltzman noted that space control represents “a new function for our fledgling service” and identified it as his “number one priority” when speaking with executive and legislative leaders.

“Historically, we’ve avoided talking too much about space control,” he admitted. “But why would you have a military space service if not to execute space control? If we’re going to truly embrace our status as space war fighters, then we need to also embrace our fundamental responsibility for space control.”

He announced that the Space Force will soon publish new doctrine and guidance on space control, urging all guardians to read “Space Force doctrine document one” as soon as it becomes available.
Call for field innovation

While reinforcing the strategic direction, Saltzman also called on field units to take initiative rather than waiting for headquarters to solve all challenges related to training and readiness.

“At headquarters we are not living the mission day to day,” he noted. “The space staff simply does not have the same level of understanding, awareness or daily insight to direct the activities for readiness.”

While promising to continue development of better training systems, ranges and simulators, he challenged guardians: “You cannot afford to wait on the headquarters to deliver better answers. I need guardians in the field to find a way.”

The establishment of the Space Force in December 2019 was driven by concerns over growing threats in space, particularly from China and Russia, which have been developing counterspace weapons.

“We must be ready to contest and control our domain,” Saltzman concluded, “to overcome threats and outwit a thinking opponent, to build our systems to withstand a determined adversary — in short, to be space-minded war fighters.”

Spire Global established two-way optical communications for the first time between two six-unit cubesats.

The cubesats, equipped with an optical communications payload about the size of a tissue box, transmitted data as far as 5,000 kilometers.

“Precisely pointing two satellites, across distances equivalent of New York to London,” to establish an optical link is a “significant milestone for Spire,” John E. Ward, Spire senior director of research & development, said in a statement. “This achievement places us among a select group of organizations capable of developing and deploying this advanced technology and overcoming the complexities of aligning satellites separated by thousands of kilometers in Low Earth Orbit. Integrating this technology into our future fleet will enhance resilience, improve security, and reduce latency for critical applications.”

The ability to share data quickly and securely through an optical intersatellite link (OISL) could benefit a variety of space-based missions from weather forecasting and global communications to environmental monitoring and navigation, according to the March 3 news release.

“Our OISL payload is the smallest on the market, allowing us to deploy this technology on our small satellites while delivering performance previously achievable only with much larger systems,” Thomas Carroll, Spire Applied Optics leader, said in a statement. “This breakthrough has the potential to enhance our data and Space Services solutions, especially for applications that require continuous coverage with fast and secure data relay.”

The optical intersatellite links were demonstrated by cubesats launched in 2023. Spire plans to launch three additional Lemur cubesats with OISL technology this year, including two contracted with Exolaunch to fly within days on the SpaceX Transporter-13 rideshare.

The European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) Pioneer Partnership Project helped fund Spire OISL technology. Additional support was provided by the UK Space Agency.

“Through our ARTES Pioneer Partnership Project, we have supported Spire in the development of a new OISL capability for their space data service network,” Clive Edwards, ESA Pioneer Implementation Manager, said in a statement. “This OISL system is set to transform satellite communications, offering enhanced security and efficiency for space-based data transmission.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Earth-observation startup Albedo won a U.S. Air Force Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract with a potential value of $12 million.

The contract announced March 3 supports Albedo’s campaign to send satellites into very low Earth orbit (VLEO) to gather visible and thermal imagery.

“VLEO represents a fundamental paradigm shift in space architecture, breaking the traditional tradeoff between exquisite capability and proliferated architectures,” Albedo CEO Topher Haddad said in a statement. “As counterspace threats grow and [low-Earth orbit] becomes increasingly congested, Albedo’s VLEO approach delivers the optimal economics for exquisite capabilities – high performance at costs that enable constellation resilience.”
Gaining Clarity

Albedo’s first satellite, the phone-booth sized Clarity-1, is scheduled to launch within days on the SpaceX Transporter 13 rideshare. Clarity-1 is designed to collect 10-centimeter visible imagery and thermal infrared imagery with a resolution of two meters per pixel.

Government and commercial satellite operators are developing satellites to operate in VLEO to obtain high-resolution imagery, avoid congested regions of low-Earth orbit and speed up communications with airborne and ground systems.

“We’re honored to pioneer this untapped orbital regime and help establish U.S. dominance in this strategic domain,” Haddad said.

Under the STRATFI contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Albedo will share data and provide analysis of VLEO operations “to support the development of new missions and payloads beyond its own optical sensors,” according to the news release. For example, Albedo will deliver data on GNSS telemetry, on-orbit performance, satellite drag and atmospheric density. Denver-based Albedo also will share information gathered by onboard atomic-oxygen sensors and technology to assess image-quality, pointing performance and spacecraft agility.

Albedo’s Precision satellite bus is designed for VLEO with autonomous protective modes for solar events, efficient electric propulsion, advanced guidance, navigation and control sensors and actuators, and a modular interface to accommodate various payloads.

The STRATFI program matches government and private investment. The government typically provides $3 million to $15 million. STRATFI agreements are designed to help small businesses transition technologies from research and development to production.

Space Development Agency satellite procurements moving forward amid heightened scrutiny .

https://spacenews.com/space-development-agency-satellite-procurements-moving-forward-amid-heightened-scrutiny/

Space Force to play ‘central role’ in Iron Dome U.S. missile defense initiative .

https://spacenews.com/space-force-to-play-central-role-in-iron-dome-u-s-missile-defense-initiative/

K2 Space raises $110 million to scale up satellite production.

K2 Space, a satellite manufacturing startup aiming to disrupt the industry with lower-cost, high-capacity spacecraft, has raised $110 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Altimeter Capital.

The round, announced on Feb. 13, also saw participation from existing investors, including Alpine Space Ventures and First Round Capital, bringing the California-based company’s total equity raised to $180 million since its founding in 2022.

The fresh capital injection will help K2 Space accelerate production of its “Mega” class satellite buses that the company claims can be built for under $15 million per unit with lead times of less than three months. K2 Space and its investors are betting that as launch costs continue to decline, the industry will move toward larger satellites, countering the recent trend favoring small satellite constellations.

“Advanced space capabilities can’t be built on small, low-powered platforms,” said Karan Kunjur, CEO of K2 Space, “but higher capability satellites have been far too expensive for most proliferated applications.”

Military mission planned for 2026

The U.S. Space Force is already showing interest. K2 Space is developing its first government mission, dubbed Gravitas, under a $60 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) agreement, with the Space Force and venture investors each contributing $30 million. The mission, scheduled to launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-16 rideshare in 2026, will deploy multiple national security payloads in low Earth orbit before maneuvering into medium Earth orbit, a region requiring advanced radiation-hardened capabilities.

Beyond funding, K2 Space is expanding its physical footprint. The company announced plans to open a 180,000-square-foot factory in Torrance, California, a move aimed at scaling production, increasing in-house component manufacturing, and growing its workforce.

In a bid to strengthen its defense business, K2 Space hired former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb as its new head of strategy.