On April 17, 2026, the U.S. Space Force officially cancelled the Next Generation Operational Control System after sixteen years of development, cost overruns, and testing failures. The $8 billion program was supposed to unlock the military's encrypted GPS signal. Instead, the satellites are flying with capabilities the ground can't command.
Space Force confirmed 9 companies won orbital Air Moving Target Indication contracts. Capability shifts airborne surveillance to satellites for expanded coverage and survivability.
Space Force commits to operational space tugs and on-orbit refueling by 2030. New capabilities will complicate conjunction analysis for GEO and MEO satellite tracking.
Space Force projects 30,000-satellite orbital architecture by 2040 amid combat integration revelations. Gen. Saltzman confirms space operations were critical in Iran conflict.
White House directs NASA and Pentagon to field space nuclear power systems by 2028, with DoD demonstration required by 2031. Game-changer for military satellite power budgets.
Space Force selects 14 companies for $1.8 billion Andromeda program to replace GSSAP geosynchronous surveillance satellites with commercial alternatives through 2036.
