Defense news

Two more rocket-makers join Pentagon's list of launch options

09-07-2026 22:18 via defenseone.com

Space Force officials have tapped two startup companies to compete for future national security launch missions, expanding the service’s growing list of providers as the military’s demand for orbital capabilities skyrockets. California-based firms Impulse Space and Relativity Federal have been added to the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, reserved for its more accessible and lower-risk missions. Both companies will receive a $5 million

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Space Force adds two startups to military’s growing list of national security launch providers

09-07-2026 22:18 via defenseone.com

Space Force officials have tapped two startup companies to compete for future national security launch missions, expanding the service’s growing list of providers as the military’s demand for orbital capabilities skyrockets. California-based firms Impulse Space and Relativity Federal have both been added to the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, reserved for its more accessible and lower-risk missions. Both companies will receive a $5 mil

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Navy teases next step in key drone boat program

09-07-2026 22:05 via defenseone.com

The Navy plans to launch the next phase of its marketplace for high-capacity, medium-sized drone boats on August 1, according to a contract notice. The medium unmanned surface vessel, or MUSV, program “uses modular design principles to create adaptable and resilient solutions that can effectively counter evolving threats,” the July 7 notice states. “Interested parties with expertise in vessel construction, autonomy, perception systems and complex maritime problem solving e

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Unions sue to restore Pentagon workers' collective-bargaining rights

09-07-2026 18:00 via defenseone.com

A pair of federal employee unions last week sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his April directive that the department terminate most of its collective bargaining agreements, alleging he violated the Administrative Procedure Act and exceeded his statutory authority when he sought to implement President Trump’s anti-union executive order.In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order citing a seldom-used provision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to strip roughly two-thirds o

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Defense Business Brief: Rocket engine startup eyes production; NATO Summit Day 1; Anduril’s first NATO contract

09-07-2026 04:44 via defenseone.com

Rocket engine startup Venus Aerospace only has one major test flight under its belt, but the company just raised $91 million from investors ready to bet on future production demands.The Series B funding round was led by the venture capital firm Mercury Fund and with participation from other investors, including Lockheed Martin Ventures, which noted the company’s rapid development of its rotating detonation rocket engine—which uses continuous supersonic detonation waves to gener

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