low earth orbit

Missile defense has been a priority in the United States for decades, in no small part because the threat posed by long-range, nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles remains as one of the few direct threats to the American mainland that could arise with little to no warning. In today’s world, it would be all but impossible to […]

SpaceX has, in many ways, reignited America’s interest in rocketry and space travel. After decades of seemingly humdrum orbital operations (that are actually anything but humdrum), Elon Musk’s private space venture and its partnership with NASA is now on the verge of launching human beings into orbit from American soil for the first time since […]

SpaceX has, in many ways, reignited America’s interest in rocketry and space travel. After decades of seemingly humdrum orbital operations (that are actually anything but humdrum), Elon Musk’s private space venture and its partnership with NASA is now on the verge of launching human beings into orbit from American soil for the first time since July […]

Retired Marine Colonel Randy Bresnik cut his teeth as a test pilot for the F/A-18 Hornet program, before going on to serve combat tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Now, he’s an astronaut, and one of the few remaining with the experience necessary to give us the lowdown on how space food stacks up […]

With Russia’s long and storied history of misinformation and recent efforts to secure foreign buyers for military hardware, it can be hard to trust any news pertaining to Russian defense initiatives that find their way to the press. By and large, Moscow’s massive state-owned media empire, which includes outlets commonly frequented by Americans like Sputnik, […]

With Russia’s long and storied history of misinformation and recent efforts to secure foreign buyers for military hardware, it can be hard to trust any news pertaining to Russian defense initiatives that find their way to the press. By and large, Moscow’s massive state-owned media empire, which includes outlets commonly frequented by Americans like Sputnik, […]

The International Space Station has been in orbit around our planet since 1998, providing the human race with a (semi) permanent habitable space at the front door of the great beyond. That timeline offers an interesting bit of perspective — as you come to realize that America’s latest generation of enlisted warfighters, joining the service […]

For the first time since the Cold War, public interest is once again shifting toward space. But this time, it isn’t a looming competition between two super powers that’s caught our attention. A complex web of national efforts, corporate programs, and increasingly, military assets streak across the sky above our heads, pushing the boundaries of […]

There are two things you could never accuse SpaceX of being shy about: trying new things, and sharing intense footage of their failures. Last September, SpaceX founder Elon Musk shared a “highlight” reel of some of the most spectacular failures the company had along its path to becoming one of the most prominent private space […]

There are two things you could never accuse SpaceX of being shy about: trying new things, and sharing intense footage of their failures. Last September, SpaceX founder Elon Musk shared a “highlight” reel of some of the most spectacular failures the company had along its path to becoming one of the most prominent private space […]

Earlier this year, a top U.S. State Department official addressed the United Nations at Geneva, using the opportunity to draw attention Russia’s military efforts in orbit, despite their ongoing media campaign aimed at discrediting the United States’ endeavor to mount a space-specific branch of its own. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and […]

Any child born on or after November 2, 2000, belongs to a slightly different category of human being than the rest of us old-timers. Prior to that date, humans had managed to escape Earth’s gravity on multiple occasions, but mankind’s space-borne escapes had all been of the temporary sort. On that date, however, the International […]