The U.S. Space Force is planting a new flag in Silicon Valley. In a move that underscores how artificial intelligence is becoming central to national security, the service has launched its first AI Accelerator at Stanford University — a program designed to connect military operators with researchers, engineers and private-sector innovators working on next-generation space technologies. The initiative, unveiled during the Department of the Air Force-Stanford AI Studio’s Act4Aero event from March 31 to April 2, reflects a view within the military that future conflicts in space may be decided not simply by satellites or rockets but also by the…
Apogee
U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess to serve as the next chief of space operations (CSO) as the nation’s newest military service confronts an increasingly contested domain. If confirmed by the Senate, Schiess would gain a fourth star and become the third CSO and Space Force leader since its establishment in 2019, succeeding Gen. B. Chance Saltzman. Saltzman is expected to retire this year after overseeing a period of rapid growth and institutional transformation. “The Space Force has made tremendous progress in a short time, and our mission has never been more…
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has deployed space resources to track and post information about United States forces in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Whether the nation, which is working behind the scenes in negotiations, is supplying targeting and other data directly to Iran’s military remains open to debate. Beijing denies it, but experts quoted by Al Jazeera news say yes, based on an increase in the accuracy of Iran’s attacks since the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28. Chinese satellite imagery of the conflict zone has been spreading since the operation began, The…
United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) has launched a new wargame series aimed at strengthening coordination between government, allied and commercial space actors as concerns grow over potential threats on orbit, including weapons of mass destruction. The inaugural Apollo Insight Commercial Integration tabletop exercise on March 23 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, brought together defense officials, industry leaders and international partners to examine a theoretical worst-case scenario involving space-based threats. The classified event marked the first of four planned exercises in 2026 focused on improving collective responses and technical solutions. Participants from private industry, 17 government organizations joined representatives from allied nations…
Canada has taken steps to establish its first military space launch center, declaring that “our security, our prosperity, and our sovereignty will increasingly extend beyond our atmosphere.” The nation’s Department of National Defence (DND) will lease a launchpad at a private spaceport in Nova Scotia, according to an announcement March 16, 2026, by Minister of National Defence David J. McGuinty. Spaceport Nova Scotia is under construction as a dual-use launch center for commercial and government business. Developer Maritime Launch Services Inc. (MLS) is soliciting customers globally by offering relief from a growing launch bottleneck while “advancing Canada’s national resilience and…
The success of the Artemis II mission will be measured by technological breakthroughs: a second test for the most powerful rocket ever to achieve orbit, a rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO) proving key capabilities for future deep-space missions, and the return of a crew to lunar orbit for the first time in 53 years.Just as importantly, success will be measured in the growing international coalition that powers the long-term goals behind the U.S.-led Artemis program. There are the 10 European states who helped create the mission’s Orion crew spacecraft — and the 61 nations who have signed onto the underlying…
For decades, the cloud has been a metaphor for boundless digital capacity — a weightless abstraction where data lives in endless abundance. But that cloud is getting heavy. Artificial intelligence (AI), high-frequency trading, streaming and autonomous systems are devouring bandwidth, power and land. The global data center industry already consumes nearly 3% of the world’s electricity. By 2030, that figure could double, surpassing the power use of Japan, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Now, a new idea is taking shape in boardrooms and laboratories from Redmond, Washington, to Turin, Italy: moving the cloud into actual space. Amazon founder…
As global competition extends beyond Earth’s atmosphere, the United States and India are moving to strengthen cooperation in space, viewing the domain as both a strategic frontier and a critical arena for economic and security interests. That message was underscored in early March during a visit to India by Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM), who met with senior government, military and industry leaders and participated in the 2026 Raisina Dialogue, one of the Indo-Pacific region’s premier geopolitical forums. Whiting’s trip highlighted growing cooperation between Washington and New Delhi in space — a domain that…
A major gap in satellite collision warnings appears to be closing somewhat with unprecedented outreach recently by once-silent Chinese space interests. The Chinese National Space Administration, the country’s civilian space agency, emailed NASA in October 2025 about a potential collision that read, “We would like to recommend you hold still and we’ll do the maneuver.” The communication was revealed the next day by Alvin Drew, NASA space sustainability director and a former astronaut, during a panel discussion at the International Astronautical Congress in Australia. “That’s the first time that has ever happened,” Drew said. The revelation was reported by SpaceNews…
The U.S. Army is moving quickly to expand its space capabilities, from the creation of a separate space branch to improvements in battlefield communications. The service is getting closer to standing up Army space operations, a plan that has received “overwhelming affirmation” from general officers, Brig. Gen. Donald Brooks, deputy commander of the Space and Missile Defense Command at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, said during the Association of the U.S. Army conference in October 2025. Army leaders also noted that for the first time in its budgeting, the service has included as a top priority counterspace capabilities —…