Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, speaking at the 2026 Space Symposium, said the department has launched an industry competition for a program that seeks to deploy satellites to track airborne targets. Credit: Space Foundation

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request is the clearest signal yet that the U.S. Space Force is moving into a new role: tracking moving targets from orbit, a mission long handled by specialized aircraft.

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Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...