Top Stories

Space Force Stands Up Two Cyber Squadrons to Protect Launch Sites

Space Force has activated two new cyber defense squadrons — one at Cape Canaveral, one at Vandenberg — specifically tasked with defending launch operations against malicious interference. Maj. Torius Davis framed the threat plainly: “Our adversaries are constantly looking for ways to deny, disrupt or destroy our ability to launch.”

This is a direct acknowledgment that launch infrastructure is a cyber target, not just a physical one. Networks supporting pad operations, range safety, and telemetry are all potential attack surfaces. Tracking what’s on orbit starts with getting it there safely.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Kronos C2 Contracts Expected in April — ATLAS Still Not Viable

Space Force expects to award its first Kronos command-and-control contracts in April. Kronos is one half of a broader C2 modernization effort aimed at replacing legacy satellite management systems.

The other half, ATLAS, has not reached full operational viability according to the most recent DOT&E report. That split status matters: if Kronos moves forward while ATLAS stalls, Space Force may end up running parallel C2 architectures longer than planned — with interoperability implications for constellation management across SDA and legacy programs.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Parsons and Raven Defense Unveil Hybrid Military Satellite Antenna

Parsons and Raven Defense have developed a hybrid ground antenna that combines a six-meter parabolic dish with an electronically steered phased-array feed. The design targets the military market, where operators need both high-gain directional links and the flexibility to steer electronically without repositioning hardware.

Parabolic dishes offer raw gain; phased arrays offer agility. Combining them into one system is an engineering tradeoff worth watching — particularly for ground stations supporting rapidly maneuvering or proliferated LEO constellations where traditional dish-pointing speeds fall short.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

York Space Leans on Defense Backlog as SDA Procurement Shifts

York Space is pointing to its existing backlog and recent commercial wins to weather uncertainty around Space Development Agency procurement transitions. The company has been a key SDA supplier, building satellites for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer.

SDA’s acquisition approach is shifting as the agency matures, and smaller bus manufacturers like York face real exposure if contract structures change. Whether their commercial pipeline can offset any SDA slowdown will determine their trajectory over the next 18 months.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Anduril Begins Fury Production at Ohio’s Arsenal-1 Facility

Anduril has started production of its Fury autonomous aircraft at the new Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio. By end of 2026, the site is expected to also produce Roadrunner, Barracuda, and a classified platform.

Arsenal-1 is Anduril’s bet on high-volume, factory-style defense manufacturing — a departure from traditional low-rate defense production. While not directly space-related, Fury and Barracuda are relevant to the integrated air and space defense picture that KeepTrack’s military users operate within.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Army Takes Delivery of First Autonomous-Ready H-60Mx Black Hawk

The Army has received its first H-60Mx Black Hawk, an optionally piloted, autonomous-ready variant derived from DARPA’s ALIAS program. The aircraft has been in development for over a decade.

Optionally piloted rotorcraft reduce crew risk in contested environments and expand operational reach — directly relevant to joint operations where space-enabled ISR and communications support manned-unmanned teaming. The H-60Mx delivery marks the first hardware handoff of this configuration to Army operators.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

COSMOS 1506

COSMOS 1506 is a Soviet navigation satellite that launched on October 26, 1983, from Plesetsk Cosmodrome aboard a Kosmos 11K65M rocket. Built by OAZ and operated by the Soviet Navy (VMF), this satellite was equipped with the Tsikada navigation payload—part of the USSR’s answer to early satellite-based positioning systems. With a launch mass of 800 kg and dimensions of 5 meters in length with a 17-meter antenna span, COSMOS 1506 was designed for a relatively modest operational lifetime of 1.5 to 2 years.

The satellite operated in a highly inclined orbit of 82.93°, which was typical for Soviet navigation satellites of the era and allowed coverage over high northern latitudes—particularly useful for Arctic operations and Soviet territory. The Tsikada system, while less well-known in the West than GLONASS (which was still under development), represented an important milestone in Soviet space-based navigation capabilities and demonstrated the country’s commitment to independent positioning infrastructure during the Cold War.

Learn more about this satellite: View COSMOS 1506

Upcoming Space Launches

March 24–25

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-17 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Space Launch Complex 4E (23:03 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Booster B1081 will land on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live

March 25

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • Daughter Of The Stars (LEO-PNT Pathfinder A) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (09:14 UTC) A dedicated mission for the European Space Agency launching two pathfinder satellites — IOD-1 and IOD-2 — for the new Celeste LEO-PNT constellation. This initiative aims to build an 11-satellite low Earth orbit fleet to complement Galileo, EGNOS, and other Global Navigation Satellite System assets, improving navigation resilience and service quality. The satellites will be deployed into a 510 km circular orbit. Watch Live

• Isar Aerospace Spectrum:

  • Onward and Upward from Orbital Launch Pad, Andøya Spaceport, Norway (20:00–21:00 UTC) The second test flight of Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum small launch vehicle, carrying five CubeSats: CyBEEsat (TU Berlin), TriSat-S (University of Maribor), Platform 6 (EnduroSat), FramSat-1 (NTNU), and SpaceTeamSat1 (TU Wien Space Team), plus a “Let it Go” experiment from Dcubed. Exolaunch is managing payload integration and deployment. Delayed from January 21 due to a pressurization valve issue. Watch Live Launch Preview

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 2C:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Complex 9, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (22:43 UTC) Details to be determined.

March 27

• ExPace Kuaizhou 1A:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Area 95A, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (04:04 UTC) Details to be determined. Kuaizhou 1A is a quick-reaction solid-fueled small launch vehicle capable of delivering up to 300 kg to low Earth orbit.

• RKK Energiya Soyuz-5:

  • Demo Flight from Launch Pad 45/1, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan (11:00 UTC) Demonstration flight of Russia’s new Soyuz-5 (Irtysh) launch vehicle, flying with a mass simulator payload. Soyuz-5 is designed to replace the Zenit-2 and Proton Medium rockets and can lift up to 17 tonnes to low Earth orbit, powered by an RD-171MV engine on its first stage.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-44 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA (11:00 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Watch Live

March 29

• United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551:

  • Amazon Leo (LA-05) from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA (07:53 UTC) The sixth of nine Atlas V missions contracted by Amazon, carrying a batch of broadband internet satellites for the Amazon Kuiper low Earth orbit constellation. Kuiper aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity to underserved and remote communities worldwide.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Transporter 16 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare) from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA (10:10 UTC) A dedicated rideshare mission to sun-synchronous orbit carrying dozens of microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.

Schedule Changes

• New launch added: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Transporter 16 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare) has been added to the manifest, currently To Be Confirmed for March 29, 2026 at 10:10 UTC from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
• Status update: Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M | 16 x Rassvet-3 has been removed from the upcoming launch calendar following a confirmed Launch Successful status.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.