Courtney Albon

Washington, D.C.

Space and Emerging Tech Reporter at C4ISRNET

Space and emerging tech reporter @C4ISRNET, formerly @insidedefense (she/her)

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Articles

Varda lands third space capsule, carrying key hypersonic flight data

2 days ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

Varda Space Industries, a California-based, in-orbit manufacturing company, recovered its third reentry capsule Wednesday, providing new data to support the Air Force Research Laboratory’s hypersonic research efforts. Funded by AFRL, Varda’s W-3 capsule launched March 14 on Rocket Lab’s Pioneer satellite, which provided power, communications and propulsion for the system. It landed May 13 at Koonibba Test Range in South Australia.
Pentagon taps 12 more companies for space data transport network demos

4 days ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

The Defense Innovation Unit said Monday it has selected 12 companies to join its effort to build a secure network of military and commercial communication satellites, which will begin conducting demonstrations later this summer.
Northrop tests tech to help hypersonic vehicles maneuver without GPS

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Courtney Albon

Two recent groundbreaking hypersonic test flights featured a Northrop Grumman capability designed to allow high-speed systems to navigate and maneuver when GPS isn’t available. The company told Defense News this week that its inertial measurement unit, or IMU, flew onboard Stratolaunch’s Talon-A glide vehicle during its first two hypersonic flights in December and March.
Space Force weighs options for boosting launch resiliency, capacity

1 week ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

The Space Force is eyeing options to increase its launch capacity and resiliency as demand for U.S. national security and commercial launch continue to strain existing launch infrastructure. Brig. Gen.
Golden Dome costs driven by interceptors, not launch, analysts say

1 week ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

Reduced launch costs over the last few decades could shave up to 40% off past cost estimates for a space-based missile defense layer, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Stratolaunch hits milestone with fully reusable hypersonic testbed

1 week ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

The Pentagon announced Monday that California-based firm Stratolaunch completed two hypersonic test flights with its Talon-A vehicle, recovering the testbed on both and making history as the first fully autonomous vehicle to reach Mach 5 speeds and live to tell the tale. The flights were part of the Pentagon’s Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Testbed program, or MACH-TB, and occurred three months apart — one last December and the second in March.
Pentagon seeks drone-killing technology that’s safe for civilians

2 weeks ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit plans to issue a solicitation for low-collateral counter-drone technology next week, part of the second iteration of its Replicator rapid-fielding effort that’s focused on helping the Pentagon protect its installations from small-drone attacks.
Lockheed loses experimental satellite after Firefly launch mishap

2 weeks ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

A launch anomaly on board Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket resulted in the loss of a Lockheed Martin spacecraft designed to demonstrate new satellite technologies. The mission, which lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Tuesday morning, went south sometime after the rocket’s first stage separated and before the ignition of Alpha’s second stage.
Anduril announces lighter, smaller Pulsar jammer

2 weeks ago | defensenews.com | Courtney Albon

Defense technology firm Anduril Industries on Tuesday rolled out a lighter, more mobile version of its Pulsar electronic warfighter system, designed to track and take out enemy targets, including drone swarms. The software-driven signal jammer, Pulsar-L, comes in two configurations — airborne and expeditionary. The company unveiled its first three Pulsar variants last year: Pulsar-V, which is a vehicle version; Pulsar Alpha, which is airborne; and a fixed-site configuration.
Anduril announces lighter, smaller Pulsar jammer

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Courtney Albon

3 days agoThe AI Arsenal That Could Stop World War III | Palmer Luckey | TEDAI in warfare is no longer hypothetical; it's inevitable, says Palmer Luckey, an inventor and founder of the defense technology company Anduril Industries. He takes us inside the high-tech arms race to build AI-powered weapons, "killer robots" and autonomous fighter jets at scale — and makes the counterintuitive case for why this may be the surest path to deterrence and lasting peace.