Brig. Gen Nick Hague, Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations Credit: Jack Dempsey, Air & Space Forces Association

WASHINGTON — When the United States Space Force was first created, one of its early recruiting ads showed uniformed service members standing watch in spacesuits, gazing over Earth from orbit. The imagery drew criticism for suggesting a military presence in space that did not exist.

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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...