Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy (center right) visited Vast headquarters in Long Beach, California, in September. The company is building a commercial space station. Credit: Vast Space
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy (center right) visited Vast headquarters in Long Beach, California, in September. The company is building a commercial space station. Credit: Vast Space

In August, United States Space Force procurement chief Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy toured Blue Origin’s Alabama factory, where BE-4 rocket engines are being built for next-generation launch vehicles. He also visited Northwood Space, a California-based startup building next-generation antennas to move satellite data faster. In September, he toured Vast’s Long Beach headquarters, where engineers are developing a commercial space station.

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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...