FROM THE INSTITUTE
vLEO is emerging as a serious option in future space architectures for national security and commercial missions, panelists said at ASCEND 2026 on Wednesday. “It’s the perfect time for vLEO to be coming into its own,” said Spence Wise, senior vice president at Redwire, citing a convergence of technical readiness, operational demand, and commercial interest.
Tag: National Security
Inaugural ASCEND Classified Day Convenes 100 National Security, Intelligence, and Industry Leaders
FROM THE INSTITUTE
AIAA’s inaugural ASCEND Classified Day, hosted at The Aerospace Corporation’s corporate headquarters, provided the AIAA technical community an opportunity to hear directly from national leaders about what is needed to deliver continuing leadership in space and to address and dissect the pressing challenges for doing so.
ASCEND 2026 Puts “Need for Speed” at the Center of National Security Space
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Space is no longer a benign operating environment. It is a contested warfighting domain, where adversaries are rapidly expanding counter-space capabilities and testing U.S. resilience on orbit and across the industrial base. Against this backdrop, ASCEND 2026 will feature its most robust national security programming to date showing how the United States can outpace adversaries, harden critical space infrastructure, and transform its space industrial base.
Blue Origin Permitted to Bid on National-Security Launches
Defense One reports, “The Pentagon has picked three companies—Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance—for its new satellite launch competition that was built to usher new entrants into the market … This marks a big win for Blue Origin, which has yet to fly a national security mission.”
Full Story (Defense One)