17 May 2020

USSF-7 mission director reflects upon 28.5 year space career

Thirty years ago as an Air Force ROTC cadet at the University of Washington, Col. Shane Clark had no idea how his career would turn out, or the circuitous route he would take to where he is today as mission director for the launch of the U.S. Space Force's USSF-7, and the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for the Department of the Air Force's Rapid

28 Apr 2020

Department of the Air Force commissioned RAND Space Launch Market Report released

Last summer, the Department of the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Enterprise requested a RAND Corp. study of the heavy lift launch market. The RAND study, released today, confirms the heavy lift launch market is unlikely to support more than two U.S. launch providers in the long term, and highlights the short term schedule

13 Mar 2020

New decade heralds new era for SMC’s Launch Enterprise

The Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise capped off another decade of tremendous success for the nation’s premier launch acquirer in 2019.“Our National Security Space Launch program successfully launched four National Security Space missions last year and maintained its perfect mission success record, which now stands at 78 of 78

27 Feb 2020

Kirtland is an integral hub for U.S. Space Force

Kirtland’s 52,000 acres have been referred to as a national security complex—where 108 mission partners under five different Air Force major commands, and the Departments of the Air Force and Energy, populate the mega base. Now this includes elements of the newly created sixth armed service—the United States Space Force.