Shelley K. Mesch

Shelley K. Mesch joined Inside Defense as an Air Force reporter in 2022. She had previously reported on business, technology and innovation at The Salt Lake Tribune and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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Archived Articles
Daily News | June 21, 2024

As Space Systems Command attempts to quickly field its missile warning/missile tracking satellites, it has canceled a contract with RTX for failing to meet cost and timeline schedules.

Daily News | June 20, 2024

The Biden administration is "sleepwalking" in the face of the threat of a Russian nuclear weapon placed in space, the House Intelligence Committee's top lawmaker said today while calling for more information on the capability to be released publicly.

The Insider | June 18, 2024

The Air Force yesterday ran a test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicle, the service announced today.

Daily News | June 18, 2024

The B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program’s schedule for initial operational capability slipped by about three years into 2033, according to a Government Accountability Office report released yesterday.

The Insider | June 14, 2024

Blue Origin will join United Launch Alliance and SpaceX in competing for National Security Space Launch contracts, which will total up to $5.6 billion over the next five years.

Daily News | June 14, 2024

Senate authorizers voted yesterday to allow the Space Force to absorb certain Air National Guard units without authority from governors of the states overseeing those units.

Daily News | June 12, 2024

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee is skeptical of the Space Force's decision to pursue a constellation of GPS satellites as a means for maintaining positioning, navigation and timing, according to a draft report accompanying the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill.

Daily News | June 12, 2024

The Air Force may be allowed to pursue planned divestments of legacy aircraft to boost funds for innovation, but the service should "better balance near-term readiness with modernization for the future" in upcoming budget requests through at least 2028, according to a draft version of the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill from the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

Daily News | June 6, 2024

The Air Force Research Laboratory is running experiments to bring artificial intelligence into the field and bring data to the warfighter, but first it’s using AI to clean up the existing mounds of data.

Daily News | June 5, 2024

More than a year after an alleged Chinese spy balloon broke into U.S. airspace simply by floating slowly at a high altitude, the Air Force is seeking ways to "mitigate, neutralize or eliminate" similar adversarial balloons, according to a recent request for information.

Daily News | June 4, 2024

The Space Development Agency released a solicitation to build a pool of non-traditional vendors to compete for its Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit effort, dubbed HALO, according to an agency release issued last week.

The Insider | May 30, 2024

Space Systems Command is planning to award multiple contracts for satellites that can carry experimental payloads as part of its Space Test Experiments Platform 2.0 program, according to a solicitation posted last week.

The Insider | May 28, 2024

The Space Force may create a proliferated network of communication satellites in geostationary orbit as part of its Protected Tactical Satellite Communications Global (PTS-G) initiative, according to a recent post from the service.

Daily News | May 23, 2024

Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee argued yesterday over whether there was a leak of classified information relating to Russia's development of a satellite that could detonate a nuclear weapon in space.

Daily News | May 23, 2024

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine would evaluate whether the U.S. should create a Cyber Force, should the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill be enacted.

Daily News | May 22, 2024

An amendment to the House Armed Services Committee's defense policy bill would require the Space Force to secure gubernatorial approval before absorbing any Air National Guard space-related units into the service.

Daily News | May 22, 2024

Amendments to the defense policy bill passed in committee today would require further Defense Department reporting on the Sentinel nuclear missile program and more government oversight of the effort.

Daily News | May 21, 2024

The Space Force needs more money if it's going to improve its space domain awareness capabilities, top service officials told lawmakers today.

The Insider | May 20, 2024

Vipin Narang will be the acting assistant defense secretary for space policy starting today, the Defense Department announced, following the departure of John Plumb.

Daily News | May 16, 2024

The fiscal year 2025 budget request includes for the first time funding for an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance digital architecture for data sharing, a top Air Force official said today.

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