Preparing Space Force to defend our interests in Space

Gen. Caine: US Troops Must Prepare to Fight Around the Moon

American troops need to prepare for combat not only in Earth's orbit but around the moon, President Donald Trump's top military adviser said Wednesday, looking ahead to a new frontier in warfare after the U.S. revealed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told service members and industry figures at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference outside Washington that the U.S. military should adapt now so it "is prepared to fight, endure and win ... from the seabed to cislunar space."

Space Force, the newest military service, which was created by Trump in 2019, is preparing to fight in space and around the moon because "humanity is advancing deeper into space — the Space Force's job is to help be prepared to defend U.S. interests," Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, head of the force's Combat Forces Command, told reporters separately.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which the U.S. and China have signed, says celestial objects such as the moon are to be used "exclusively for peaceful purposes," nuclear weapons cannot be placed in space, and countries are "liable for damage caused by their space objects."

When asked about the 1967 treaty and other similar obligations, Gagnon said the U.S. Space Force "will continue to execute safe and responsible space operations in all the reaches of space."

Gagnon also says the U.S. aims to double the size of the Space Force over the next five years — to roughly 25,000 service members — and that about two-thirds of that growth would be focused on Combat Forces Command.

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United States Space Academy

Donald Trump Just Did Something No President Has Done Since Dwight Eisenhower

Four American heroes flew to the far side of the moon four months ago – and Jen Psaki used to laugh at the branch of the military that made it possible. Now Trump just answered that mockery with the biggest move in American space history since 1954. The last time America built something like this, Dwight Eisenhower was president and the Korean War had just ended.

Trump just signed the order at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston – the same room where the Artemis II crew received their Congressional Space Medal of Honor after flying 252,756 miles into space, farther than any human had traveled since Apollo 13.

Think about that.

Those four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen – flew around the far side of the moon in April and came home to a country with no dedicated pipeline to train the people who do that for a living.

Trump fixed it Friday. The United States Space Academy will train the next generation of Space Force guardians, NASA engineers, and civilian space operators under a full-scholarship, taxpayer-funded program with mandatory service commitments.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman – the man who called Artemis II "the greatest adventure in human history" – will chair the Presidential Commission tasked with designing the academy from scratch. They have 120 days.

Read about it...

Artemis on the way home

Artemis 2 crew completes flyby, heading home

The Artemis 2 spacecraft and its 4 astronauts are on their way home following a historic day in human spaceflight.

At around 18 UTC, the crew reached the farthest distance from Earth ever traveled by humans, breaking the record of 248,655 miles (400,171km) set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

And a few hours later, the spacecraft began its voyage around the moon's far side. As the crew soared some 4,600 miles (7,400 km) above the lunar surface, the moon blocked all communications from Earth for 40 minutes.

In that time, the astronauts saw parts of the far side of the moon never before seen in daylight by human eyes. Plus, they spotted several impact flashes from space rocks hitting the lunar surface!

Read more about what they saw.

Golden Dome and Space Force taking a hit

Despite Golden Dome, Space Force budget would shrink again under 2026 spending plan

The White House appears to be pinning its hopes on the one-time reconciliation bill

The Space Force’s budget would continue to shrink under the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal, which experts said would force the Pentagon to rely on the yet-to-be-passed reconciliation bill to fund Golden Dome and other space priorities.

The White House is requesting $26.3 billion for the service, according to budget documents released on Friday. That’s about 13 percent less, in real terms, than the $29.4 billion requested by the Biden administration for 2025. It’s down from the $28.7 billion actually appropriated under the full-year continuing resolution passed in March. And it’s down from the 2024 total of $29 billion, which represented the fourth year of growth for the young service.

Space Force officials have warned that the service already lacks the money to build out new missions like “space superiority” and take a lead role in the Golden Dome missile-defense project. In March, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said the service might need a 20-percent budget increase.

Experts say the White House is betting on the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—a massive spending package that will kick an extra $150 billion to defense over the next three years. But the administration plans to use most of that in 2026 so it can talk about spending a total of $1 trillion on defense while keeping DOD’s budget essentially flat to appease fiscal conservatives.

The bill text released on Friday contained no details about specific space programs, but a budget request with more information on how the Space Force and Golden Dome will be funded is expected later this month.

Read about it...

SpaceX completes Space Mission

Private Space Mission Completes Historic Polar Orbit With Pacific Splashdown

This splashdown marks the first time humans have returned from space to the Pacific Ocean since 1975.

Four space tourists returned to Earth on Friday, concluding their journey as the first private crew to orbit the planet’s poles. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California’s coast, marking the end of their self-funded expedition that provided unprecedented views of the Earth.

Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, who chartered the SpaceX Dragon capsule for the three-and-a-half day mission, led an international team that included Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips.

Wang, Chinese-born and now a citizen of Malta, chartered the spacecraft which features a domed window offering panoramic views. The special cupola provided 270-mile-high (430-kilometer) perspectives.

Read more...

SpaceX's Crew-10 Docks At ISS | Stranded Astronauts

Hey, Democrats, what negative garbage do you want to spew at Elon now?

Biden’s Political Playbook: Delay, Deny, Deflect

Did Biden Strand The Astronauts Intentionlly?

Posted by Jimmy Parker, March 9, 2025

Ladies and gentlemen, gather ’round as we delve into the latest episode of “As the Swamp Turns.” In this installment, our former Commander-in-Chief, Joe Biden, showcases his unparalleled ability to prioritize political grudges over the well-being of American heroes. Buckle up; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Enter President Joe Biden, a man whose political maneuvers make a game of 4D chess look like tic-tac-toe. Instead of greenlighting the swift return of our astronauts, the administration opted to stall the rescue mission.

Why, you ask? Well, it appears that accepting Musk’s help might have made a Donald Trump supporter look good—a scenario Biden wanted to avoid at all costs. After all, what’s a few extra months in space compared to the horror of your political opponent gaining a smidgen of positive press?

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China on the Move

China Ramps Up War Preparations, Directly Targeting US Across The Pacific

And it will include attacks in space. China’s increasing military ‘exercises’ start to look more like operations. The head of Space Forces Indo-Pacific warned that China’s expanding military exercises, aided by an increased use of space, are blurring the line between drills and a potential invasion of Taiwan.

“It is clear in the increasing complexity with which the PLA exercises are done in a way that it becomes very difficult… to discern an exercise from an invasion, and that’s clearly by design,” the commander of Space Forces Indo-Pacific, said. “We have begun to see the space piece integrated into some of that.”

A decade ago, the Chinese only had about two dozen satellites. Now, they operate more than 1,000—most of which are “specifically designed to track U.S. forces.

“(China) has been building a space architecture specifically designed to keep the U.S. outside the Second Island Chain,” the commander said. Their strategic goal is to limit U.S. and allied forces’ ability to intervene in key conflicts, particularly in the South China Sea and around Taiwan and the Philippines.

Read more at American Liberty News

Boeing has quality conrol deficiencies/

Things Just Got Worse For Boeing

Boeing was using under-qualified workers to build their rockets for space flight, causing quality control issues, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) report released Thursday found.

NASA audited the Boeing Space Launch System (SLS) project, which has been in development since 2014 and is scheduled to make a flight to the moon in 2028, in order to find out what has caused delays and increased costs, according to the report.

The NASA Office of Inspector General alleged Boeing had a lack of “trained and experienced aerospace workers” working on the SLS, with NASA calling it a major factor in delaying construction.

Efforts by Boeing to provide in-house training have been inadequate, and “significant quality control deficiencies” persisted at the Michoud Assembly Facility, according to the report.

Boeing’s Starliner space exploration vehicle that received 4.2 billion from the government experienced helium leaks and reaction control system malfunctions in June, which stranded two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station. And they have had a few fatal plane crashes.

Their stock price: 52 Week High/Low--$267.54/$159.7

Liability Protections for Florida Aerospace Industry

Dangerous private space missions could get liability protections for Florida-based launches

• The Florida House advanced a bill to extend liability protections to aerospace companies when crew members are injured or killed in spaceflights.

• The measure is intended to address the growth of the private aerospace industry in Florida, which is now sending commercial crew on private vehicles and assets.

• The bill broadens legal immunities for injuries or deaths resulting from the inherent risks of spaceflight activities and applies to both public and private spaceflight entries.

• A similar bill has been introduced in the Florida Senate, SB 1318.

HB-839 effective July 1, 2023

Russian astronauts stuck in orbit

"Russia is planning to launch a rescue vessel to the International Space Station next month. They hope to bring home three crew members who are stuck in orbit because their original capsule was hit by a meteoroid.
 
The stuck vessel is Soyuz MS-22, it has a major leak that is spraying radiator coolant into space and it kept two cosmonauts from doing a planned spacewalk.

Micrometeoroids are a significant danger to human spaceflight. They hurl around the Earth at about 17,000mph, which is much faster than the speed of a bullet. The diameter of the micrometeoroid that hit the docked Soyuz was tiny, creating a hole in the capsule that was just 1mm in diameter. But even that small of a hole caused significant damage. Some of the images of the craft show white particles resembling snowflakes streaming out of the rear."

Read about this dangerous situation

The New Race to Space

China is Planning a Takeover, Wait Until You Hear the Details

Now, this one is wild!

Our world is highly unstable right now. We have the war going on in Ukraine with Russia and we keep sending them an infinite supply of money and weaponry even though Russia has warned against it.

On top of that, we also have to worry about what other countries are doing or planning on doing as well.

You never know what North Korea is planning. Mostly they just like to talk tough and walk around showing off in a muscle shirt putting some makeup on their skin to make is look like they’re more muscular than they really are. Kim Jong Un is that kid on the playground who thinks he’s the bully, but he’s never beat anyone up. Then one day he mouths off to the wrong kid and gets decked.

But probably the biggest country that we really need to be concerned with is China. And apparently, they’re looking to plan a takeover. But I’m not talking about Hong Kong or any other country in Asia. In fact, I’m not talking about them taking over a country at all.

Read what NASA’s administrator Bill Nelson said

Mark Vande Hei returns to Earth in spite of Russian threat to leave him behind

Elon Musk had offered to send SpaceX rocket to rescue him if he is stranded

Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile

US Condemns Russia For ‘Dangerous’ Anti-Satellite Test That Forced Astronauts To Flee Space Station

The United States blasted Russia for the “reckless and dangerous” anti-satellite bombing that caused astronauts at the International Space Station to evacuate to avoid the debris.

“Russia has demonstrated a deliberate disregard for the security, safety, stability, and long-term sustainability of the space domain for all nations,” U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander, decried in a statement.

Read the statement from our Space Command

about Russia's tests of direct-ascent anti-satellite weapons that clearly demonstrate that Russia continues to pursue counterspace weapon systems that undermine strategic stability and pose a threat to all nations.

Multi-Billionaire Jeff Bezos might get Bailed Out

Democrats Try to Give $10 Billion Bailout to Jeff Bezos for Failed Space Flight Company

"Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the world, but Democrats are trying to give him $10 billion of our tax dollars to bail him out for his losses from his failed space flight company.

Bezos created his Blue Origin company but the whole thing fell apart for him when a multibillion-dollar NASA contract went to SpaceX instead of his company.

Now the Democrats want to help bailout the world’s richest man… with our tax dollars.

Sen. Rand Paul exclaimed, “cry me a river” over Bezo’s loss."

The irony that is not lost is that Bernie Sanders, a socialist, submitted an amendment to which I agree--“To eliminate the multi-billion dollar Bezos Bailout.” Bezos is a capitalist and capitalism is taking the calculated risk, a fundamental precept of capitalism.

A procedural vote Thursday, after some last-minute deal-making, advanced that bill by a vote of 68-30 — a veritable landslide in the 50-50 split body.

Read about the Endless Frontier Act

Live Satellite Space X Launch

LAUNCH JUST SCRUBBED due to weather. Rescheduled to Saturday.

President Trump signs NASA bill

Soyuz launched in space

Watch Now Expedition 43 Soyuz

At 3:42 p.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. Kelly and Kornienko will begin a one-year mission in space, testing the limits of human research, space exploration and the human spirit.
> LIVE: NASA TV Coverage
> Latest: Space Station Blog

Mystery light streaks across sky

Comment Up

Falcon 9

From NASA's web site: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 3:25 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. and is on its way to the International Space Station. Falcon 9 is performing as expected. At the time of launch, the space station was traveling at an altitude of 260 miles over southeastern Turkey.
> Watch Live Coverage on NASA TV
> SpaceX-3 Launch Blog