Military Space Spacecraft, Weapons and Tech

Military forces have a long association with spaceflight, with modern rockets evolving from missiles developed during World War II. Today's armed forces rely on space-based assets for reconnaissance, weather tracking, communication, navigation and more. The U.S. Air Force regularly launches GPS and missile-defense tracking satellites, and operates two classified X-37B robotic space planes. Learn more about military satellites, space weapon, the Space Force and more here.
Related Topics: NASA
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Latest about military space

True Anomaly to launch 1st deep-space security missions with autonomous Jackal satellites in 2026
By Mike Wall published
Colorado-based startup True Anomaly plans to begin launching its autonomous Jackal satellites to geosynchronous orbit and Earth-moon space in 2026.

Secretive Russian military satellites release mystery object into orbit
By Andrew Jones published
A trio of secretive Russian satellites launched earlier this year has released a mysterious object into orbit, sparking interest among space trackers and analysts.

DARPA accidentally detects SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket reentry by listening to Earth's atmosphere
By Brett Tingley published
Researchers with the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have successfully used Earth's atmosphere as a sensor to detect a distant disturbance.

US military practices rescuing astronauts from the sea (photos)
By Julian Dossett published
A U.S. military joint task force did some training recently off the Florida coast, preparing to help rescue astronauts from the ocean if need be.

Space Force to march in Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, a 1st for the new military branch
By Julian Dossett published
On Jan. 20, the U.S. Space Force will participate in the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, a first for the nation's newest military branch.

What is the US Space Force doing in Greenland?
By Julian Dossett published
The United States' northernmost military installation is critical for national security, Space Force officials say.

Space Force's secretive X-37B space plane soars past 1 year in orbit
By Leonard David published
The U.S. Space Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-7) has silently slipped past one-year of flight time.

What is DARPA?
By Julian Dossett last updated
Reference Everything you need to know about the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

US Space Force 5 years later: What has it accomplished so far, and where does it go from here?
By Brett Tingley published
As the U.S. Space Force celebrates its fifth anniversary, the service's leadership looked back on its accomplishments so far while looking ahead to the future.
Get the Space.com Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!