military space programs

The US Air Force secretary has publicly acknowledged that the United States has weapons in space, a rare and direct admission about American military capabilities in orbit. The statement is drawing attention because the US has historically kept such programs classified, and it could sharpen debate over arms competition and norms in space.

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense and the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) have agreed to use domestically developed launch vehicles to place military satellites into orbit. The move aligns defense space programs with the country's homegrown rocket efforts, such as the Nuri launcher, and is seen as a step toward greater space independence and a stronger national security posture in orbit.

The US military has ended a long-running program used to detect nuclear missile launches, according to Ars Technica. The move raises questions about how the US will monitor ballistic missile launches in the future and what it means for early-warning capabilities. The decision is drawing attention among defense and space observers, who are weighing the security implications of retiring a system focused on spotting nuclear attacks.

The Pentagon is moving forward with constellations of satellites designed to track targets such as missiles from orbit. The programs, part of the US military's push for proliferated low-Earth-orbit sensing, are taking concrete shape as the Department of Defense funds and layers multiple tracking constellations to improve detection and continuous tracking of hypersonic and ballistic threats.

German defence contractor Rheinmetall has launched a military space program, and its first satellite is already in orbit. The move marks an expansion of the company beyond land systems into space-based defence capabilities, reflecting a broader push by European arms makers into military space technology amid rising security concerns in Europe.