Space Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  For the first time, a U.S. Space Force Guardian was launched into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, as part of the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, Sept. 28.Col. Nick Hague, Space Force Guardian and NASA astronaut, will command the mission and join the Expedition 72 crew aboard the ISS, where they will conduct scientific research and maintenance activities.“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to cast a broader spotlight on everything that Guardians do to make human space flight possible,” Hague said. “The average person might not understand that human space flight doesn't exist if Guardians aren't doing what they do on a day-to-day basis, whether it's launching us into ...

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) --  The Department of the Air Force Hispanic Empowerment and Advancement Team (HEAT) hosted a conference in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy auditorium at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Sept. 18.The all-day conference featured keynote speakers, special interest panels of enlisted leaders and fireside chats. The event also brought together Hispanic community leaders and advocates to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities Hispanic service members and civilians face in the Air Force and Space Force.“This conference is an important opportunity for us to come together and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of our Hispanic service members and ci...

SCHRIEVER SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) --  Capt. Kristine Kovacs, formerly 4th Space Operations Squadron Weapons and Tactics, and Specialist 4 Jack Wallace, 4th SOPS Tactician, Exercise and Integration, spearheaded an initiative within the 4th SOPS and Space Delta 8 to integrate Saber Astronautics’ Space Cockpit Battle Management System as their Common Operating Picture on their operations floors.This allows Barbara Golf, the U.S. Space Forces Space-Combined Joint Force Space Component Commercial Integration Office director, to share non-classified Joint Commercial Operations commercial space domain awareness data, including electro-optical, radar, passive RF observations and orbital positioning data to feed this COP through the Unified Data Library....

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) --  The closing session of the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference consisted of a panel of Department of the Air Force leaders and their spouses discussing the importance of family support for military readiness, Sept. 18.Panelists included Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman and his wife, Jennifer Saltzman; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin and his wife, Gina Allvin; Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna and his wife, Cathy Bentivegna and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi and his wife, Katy Flosi.Connection amongst service members was a common theme with the panelists as they identified various ways in which Airmen and Guardians can make mea...

WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, in a Sept. 18 letter to congressional leaders, itemized the significant challenges a continuing resolution of any length would pose to the Air Force and Space Force.“A CR of any length impacts DAF readiness, hinders acceleration of the Space Force, delays military construction projects, reduces aircraft availability, and curbs modernization in our race for technological superiority,” Kendall said in his letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.“A CR also sets us back in meeting the pacing challenge presented by the People's Republic of China, which continues to invest heavily in capabilities designed to prevent the United States and its all...