Officials said Marines and sailors would provide the security only at the request of the ships involved. The bill would establish a hedge portfolio of commercially available systems like low-cost drones, agile computing nodes and AI capabilities. The bill, if approved, would require commercial launch companies to reimburse the Department of Defense for certain costs. The provision would prevent the service from buying a 12th WGS satellite until it certifies whether its needs could be met by a commercial provider. The draft fiscal 2024 defense policy bill would expand the role to focus more heavily on commercial technology integration. The defunct science satellite will plummet through the atmosphere Wednesday night, according to NASA and the Defense Department. The office, located within Space Command headquarters, connects and elevates the work of two organizations already working with private sector companies. The Space Force is in the early phases of designing a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve to provide services in a time of conflict or crisis. The company is developing the U.S. Space Force’s Protected Tactical Enterprise Services ground system, which can defend against electronic warfare threats. The five-year contract is worth up to $192 million and will provide high-resolution electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar imagery. Load More