Category: Space

In a ceremony held on April 6, Thule Air Base was renamed to Pituffik Space Base. The new name is a reflection of the base’s role in the U.S. Space Force and a nod to its location in Greenland’s Pituffik region, which is where the base is located. This change recognizes the significance of Greenlandic culture and pays tribute to the local people who have helped maintain the base in the harsh Arctic environment.

U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Kaitlin Castillo
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The U.S. Space Force has requested nearly $16 billion over the next five years to continue building a new class of spy satellites that can help track missiles moving at hypersonic speeds. The budget represents an increase of almost twice as much as previously estimated. The Space Force’s budget request for FY24 includes $2.3 billion for the development of small spacecraft in orbits less than 22,000 miles above Earth to identify and track enemy missiles. However, the Space Force is looking for steeper funding increases in the years ahead. The Resilient Missile Warning Missile Tracking Program is being developed to increase defenses against Russia and China, who are currently developing weapons that travel and maneuver above Mach 5 speeds. In the next few years, the program should produce several smaller satellites that can be launched into more diverse orbits, replacing the Space-Based Infrared System and Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites currently in orbit.

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The United States is deploying a new missile-tracking satellite constellation that operates from low-Earth orbit and Raytheon Technologies has recently been awarded a contract valued at over $250 million to design, develop, and deliver the constellation. This constellation will consist of seven vehicles to provide missile warning and tracking for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Graphic: Raytheon

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In early February 2023, the United States military shot down a Chinese balloon that had reportedly drifted across Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, Canada, and the central United States. U.S. officials have since stated that they believe the balloon was blown off course by prevailing winds, preventing it from passing over Guam and Hawaii as originally intended.

U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Christopher Stone, the former Special Assistant to the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, has argued that the United States should develop its own fractional orbital bombardment systems (F/OBS) to counter China’s advances in this field of space weaponry.

David Neyland, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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