The Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) annual conference highlighted the growing popularity of small unmanned aircraft as well as the need to develop and refine counter-UAS systems to go up against them all of which must operate in GPS-denied or degraded environments. Many, if not all, o
GEOINT provider BlackSky to go public through merger with investment company February 19 A BlackSky satellite collected three images in rapid succession over Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on August 10, 2020. By analyzing those images, the company is able to extract economic and financial indicators to offer a near-real-time view of commercial activity in Port Elizabeth. (BlackSky) WASHINGTON A geospatial imagery and analytics provider to the intelligence community is going public following an expected $1.5 billion merger with an investment group, the company announced. BlackSky Holdings Inc., which regularly provides imagery and analytics to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and other government organizations via its fleet of imagery satellites, said Feb. 18 it will merge with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company formed to raise money through an initial public offering to buy a private company. BlackSky will use the symbol B
The 6 big military space stories of 2020 December 30, 2020 A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The mission s primary payload is the X-37B spaceplane. (John Raoux/AP) WASHINGTON The first full year for the U.S. Space force marked an eventful stretch for the military in space. From the growth of the nascent military branch to the award of massive new launch contracts, 2020 was a busy year in the space domain. Just this December, the Trump administration formalized its thinking about space in a new National Space Policy and gave Space Force members a surprise birthday gift: an official name. With new developments, launches and announcements spilling out throughout this year, even the most ardent observers could be forgiven for missing a story or two.