President's Commentary: The Race for Space Technologies

Space technologies are indispensable to national security and defense. Indeed, space-based capabilities are essential to modern life in the United States and across the globe.

For fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Defense Department is spending a total of $33.7 billion on space capabilities, including:  

• $2.4 billion for launch capabilities
• $1.5 billion for PNT resilience 
• $4.2 billion for satellite communications
• $4.7 billion for missile warning/tracking
• $12.3 billion for other space resilience capabilities

Meanwhile, both China and Russia are aggressively expanding their counterspace capabilities, ignoring international norms and accelerating the militarization of space. Space Insider, a market intelligence firm, reports that China has launched more than 400 satellites since 2022, many with jammers and kinetic attack capabilities. The Chinese Communist Party is also pursuing hypersonic glide vehicles and a permanent lunar presence and engages in GPS spoofing, laser attacks and cyber operations against space assets. 

Space Insider also reports that Russia is developing nuclear anti-satellite weapons, conducting cyber attacks on U.S. satellite infrastructure, and has demonstrated satellite proximity operations and electronic warfare tactics.

Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, U.S. Space Force chief of space operations, reported earlier this year that China’s and Russia’s surging technologies pose the greatest threat to space defense, Politico reported. “The PRC has developed what we’ve kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a ‘kill web,’ and it’s nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force,” he warned. 

The proliferation of low-Earth orbit satellite constellations may arguably be the most transformative development in the space domain. Such networks provide persistent communications, surveillance and missile tracking, enable multidomain operations and offer resilience in contested environments. The U.S. Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), for example, allows real-time data relay and resilient command-and-control capabilities. The agency solicited proposals earlier this year for PWSA’s Tranche 3 Tracking Layer. 

Space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are also advancing rapidly. High-resolution imaging satellites, synthetic aperture radar and infrared sensors now deliver actionable intelligence with unprecedented speed and accuracy and are increasingly integrated with terrestrial sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to support tactical decision-making at the edge. 

U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command and the Department of Defense are integrating AI into their strategic frameworks to enhance situational awareness, accelerate decision-making and automate threat response. The Space Force 2025 Data and AI Strategic Action Plan outlines a vision for becoming a fully AI-enabled and data-driven force.

Space situational awareness and orbital traffic management are also areas of ongoing innovation. With thousands of satellites and growing debris in orbit, the risk of collisions and interference rises rapidly. Emerging technologies—including radar systems, optical telescopes and AI-driven tracking algorithms—help maintain safe and secure access to space. International cooperation and data-sharing frameworks will be vital to managing this complex domain.

CubeSats and small satellites equipped with AI processors contribute to a range of missions, including electronic warfare. Their low cost and rapid deployment make them ideal for augmenting traditional defense systems and responding to dynamic threats.

In this environment, President Trump’s ambitious “Golden Dome for America” missile defense concept highlights both the growing threat and potential for space technologies in national defense. Although challenges exist, some enabling technologies are already in development. Space-based interceptors, hypersonic tracking sensors and AI-driven threat modeling could support elements of the system.

The accelerating race for space technologies is more marathon than sprint—and it has no finish line. Victory will be measured by who can sustain dominance, adapt to emerging threats and harness innovation. 

Complacency equals defeat. 

But through strategic collaboration among the Defense Department, national security agencies, international partners and allies, and industry and academia, we can overcome hurdles and ensure the space domain continues as a force multiplier for national security.