The service plans to have the satellite ready for launch in three months — a process that typically takes up to two years. The firm will showcase a truck-mounted version of Scout this week at the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The baseline Copperhead is designed for rapid-response missions, while the Copperhead-M variant is an underwater torpedo. Through the marketplace, DIU aims to reduce barriers that make it hard for advanced manufacturing firms to integrate with the defense supply chain. The mission is a follow-on to a Space Systems Command contract Northrop received last year to develop a tanker satellite called GAS-T. The GIDE X events aim to tackle technical and systems integration issues that can keep operators from leveraging command-and-control capability upgrades. Vulcan’s certification means SpaceX should have at least one competitor for future launches — though several other firms are lining up behind them. Many view the guidance as a first step toward broader reforms to how software is funded and tested and how the workforce is equipped to leverage it. The Space Force is weighing its options for how to proceed with integrating NTS-3 technology into upcoming GPS production lines. “Good luck getting DoD to adhere to this," one analyst said of lawmakers' attempts to influence defense spending. Load More
