United States
General: Better satellites key to new missile defense efforts
The general in charge of defending North America from attack told a Senate panel Thursday that he needs more and better satellites to keep up with increasingly advanced missile threats from nations including China, Russia, and North Korea.
U.S. and Japan launch historic joint space security mission
The United States and Japan launched the first of two planned space domain awareness payloads to enhance detection of threats and vulnerabilities above the Indo-Pacific region.
Kratos taps Rocket Lab to deliver hypersonic test launches for U.S. military
Rocket Lab will launch more hypersonic test vehicles for the U.S. Military. The program aims to speed up hypersonic technology development by providing an affordable flight test bed to bridge ground tests and system-level trials.
Office of Space Commerce employees, 2020-2025
The companies are serving as data quality monitors for the TraCSS program. It’s the biggest program under the Office of Space Commerce and has driven the agency’s growth. The office has quadrupled its workforce since 2020.
Total launches by nation, 2024
The United States saw an unprecedented 154 launches on the year. China came in second with a record 68 launches. A continued slump in space launches from Russia.
The big idea: artificial intelligence and space regulation
Artificial intelligence, a combination of powerful computing systems and software that allows electronic brains to learn, will shape the future of the space industry.
Growing consensus calls for cleaning up debris in orbit
Growing commerce in orbit and increasing congestion have led more nations to invest in programs aimed at cleaning up decades of space junk.
Annual spacecraft deployments fall 3% to 2,802
Despite the large increase in launches in 2024, the number of satellites deployed actually fell in 2024. Still, these spacecraft brought a record mass to orbit.
For space students, the launchpad is the new classroom
As the space workforce continually grows and more space companies are created, the education-to-industry pipeline is being restructured.
Optimism abounds for space industry in 2025
The Space Report convened experts from across the industry to discuss what the year ahead might bring. The section begins with a Q&A from former U.S. Rep. Bob Walker, offers insights from other key influencers, and closes with an insight from two Harvard authors