Astronauts briefly take shelter during repair to fix leak on the International Space Station
NASA on Friday temporarily ordered astronauts to take shelter during repairs to fix a fresh leak aboard the International Space Station.
Collaboration SPACE
America finds itself in Space Race 2.0 as humanity grows ever more dependent on the advanced technology in orbit and the lines between civil operations and national security are increasingly blurred. Threat Status at The Washington Times delivers in-depth and exclusive coverage as the great power competition for dominance accelerates across the 21st Century Frontier, with China, Russia and others challenging the United States as the world leader in the futuristic domain.
NASA declares its Mars Maven spacecraft dead after six months of silence
After six months of radio silence, NASA’s Maven spacecraft at Mars has been declared dead.
SpaceX launches its biggest, most beefed-up Starship yet on a test flight
SpaceX launched its biggest, most powerful Starship yet on a test flight Friday, an upgraded version that NASA is counting on to land astronauts on the moon.
Spaceports, space access: Leadership in space begins on the ground
As China and other adversaries rapidly expand their space capabilities, the United States cannot afford to fall behind.
Anduril awarded $100 million increase to Pentagon contract to enhance space-tracking technology
Defense technology company Anduril Industries has received a $100.3 million boost to an existing government contract to improve the system the U.S. military uses to monitor objects in space.
U.S. lacks enough space launch facilities to meet expanding civilian and national security needs
The United States set a record for space launches in 2025, and with the Trump administration saying 2026 will be even bigger, concerns are swirling in U.S. national security circles over the extent to which the country’s launch facilities are overstretched.
China’s space threat includes tracking U.S. troops
A Chinese artificial intelligence company has been tracking U.S. military operations in the Middle East, threatening U.S. forces engaged in the conflict in Iran, according to congressional testimony made public Wednesday.
NASA administrator says Pluto should once again be called a planet
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has weighed in on a 20-year-old space debate and said Pluto should be considered a planet again.
WATCH: The U.S. Navy’s plan to deter China and dominate the seas
From the floor of the Navy League Sea Air Space Expo at National Harbor, Maryland, Guy Taylor, National Security Editor for The Washington Times, sits down with Adm. Daryl Caudle, the 34th Chief of Naval Operations and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Apr. 30, 2026)
Golden Dome weapons to attack enemy missiles with new high-tech interceptors, lasers, cyberattacks
The Golden Dome will employ advanced ground-based interceptors, space-based missiles, laser guns and cyberattacks to defend against threats to the U.S., according to officials.
Elon Musk gets an apology from California regulators as a SpaceX lawsuit is settled
California regulators apologized to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk this week as they settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive.
Beyond Earth: Space Force prepares for orbital warfare
Space domain awareness. Non-Earth imaging. Orbital warfare. The language is new — but the mission is familiar: know where your enemy is, know what they can do, and be ready. John T. Seward speaks with Peter Krauss, CEO of Terran Orbital and Susanne Hake with Vantor, from the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, on the militarization of space.
Could space-based data centers help power U.S. military missions in the future?
Data centers in space, and perhaps even on the moon, could become crucial to U.S. national security.
Space Force announces plan to rapidly deploy space-based anti-missile interceptors
The Space Force announced it is spending $3.2 billion through 12 defense contractors to rapidly build the first U.S. system of high-technology, space-based anti-missile interceptors.
From launch pads to supply chains: Inside America’s space and defense buildup
Washington Times National Security Correspondent Ben Wolfgang sits down with Karman Space & Defense CEO Jon Rambeau to discuss Artemis, the arsenal of freedom, and what it will take to meet America’s growing defense demands.
LISTEN: Can companies really build data centers in space?
Rob DeMillo, CEO of the company Sophia Space, joins the show to talk about orbital compute and the possibility of data centers in space.
When China makes airspace a weapon, America must respond
When a foreign government can pressure multiple countries to deny airspace to the democratically elected leader of another sovereign nation, it is no longer a matter of diplomacy.
Space Symposium 2026: Where sci-fi meets national security
Space Race 2.0 is here. Washington Times National Security Correspondents John T. Seward and Ben Wolfgang are on the ground at Space Symposium 2026 with a look at how military, government, and private industry are converging in the race to dominate space.
To the moon and beyond: America’s boldest space ambitions
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman joins Threat Status correspondent John T. Seward to explain how defense is being impacted by NASA’s exploration, how we’re going to see nuclear power in space, and how the trip to the moon and a lunar moon base is a key priority of the Trump administration.
LISTEN: America vs China — Inside the second space race
Jeff Thornburg, the CEO and co-founder of Portal Space Systems, joins the show to talk about dynamic space operations and how the recent Artemis mission has reignited Americans’ fascination with space.
Space Force report predicts future conflict with China
China is rapidly building up space-warfare capabilities and by 2040 will be conducting low-level warfare powered by advanced technology aimed at weakening the United States, according to a new Space Force report.
WATCH: NASA fast-tracks nuclear-powered spaceship, aims for interplanetary travel in 2028
The U.S. is developing a nuclear-powered spaceship designed by technology critical to deep-space exploration and national security, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told The Washington Times in an exclusive interview this week.
America’s core values should boost the trajectory of NASA’s spacefarers
NASA’s Artemis II crew, recently returned to Earth, checked the obligatory boxes of identity inclusivity: experience in space, military service and scientific expertise.
U.S. aggressive in race for first base on moon, pushes to beat China
It’s crucial that the U.S. establish a permanent base on the moon — including a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface — before China or Russia does, top Trump administration officials said Tuesday at a major space conference.
NASA, Space Force and defense giants gather as space becomes America’s next battlefield
The accelerating race among global powers for dominance in space will hang in the backdrop next week as leaders from across the space industry and the U.S. military converge on Colorado for the 2026 Space Symposium.
Artemis II astronauts describe their lunar voyage as surreal and profound ahead of Earth return
Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for the upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound.
NSA, Australians warn Starlink can be hacked
Four government security agencies are warning that low-Earth orbit satellite communications, such as SpaceX’s Starlink system, are vulnerable to hostile cyber hacking operations.
Artemis II breaks Apollo 13’s distance record as humans travel farther from Earth than ever before
With the moon now filling their windows, the Artemis II astronauts set a record Monday as the farthest humans from Earth during a lunar flyby promising magnificent views of the far side never before witnessed.
Artemis II astronauts rocket toward the moon after spending a day around Earth
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts fired their engines and blazed toward the moon Thursday night, breaking free of the chains that have trapped humanity in shallow laps around Earth in the decades since Apollo.
NASA pauses plans for space station in favor of building base on the moon
NASA is halting plans to create a moon-orbiting space station and instead is seeking to establish a base on the lunar surface.
NASA must replace its antiquated Space Launch System
As citizens and taxpayers, we want Artemis II to succeed, but success alone is not a winning strategy when you’re an American.
U.S. racing to build space weapons to counter anti-satellite power of China and Russia
The U.S. Space Force is accelerating the deployment of counterspace weapons under a new Trump administration policy aimed at reasserting and ensuring American dominance over China and Russia in any potential orbital conflict.
Inside the high-stakes battle over Space Force advocacy
The Air & Space Forces Association and the Space Force Association, along with their leaders, stressed they believe the organizations can work together to advance American space power. However, sources familiar with the matter described behind-the-scenes dynamics that have at times bordered on acrimony.
‘There are threats in orbit’: Space Force chief sounds alarm over Chinese, Russian space assets
The head of the U.S. Space Force says his job is to “think about worst-case scenarios” when it comes to potential threats in space from America’s adversaries, whether they’re Russian “nesting doll” satellites or Chinese “grappling arm” tactics that could suddenly become weaponized.
WATCH: How the Space Force is preparing for the next war in space
National Security Editor Guy Taylor goes inside the Pentagon for a sit-down interview with U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman on how the newest branch of the U.S. military is responding to fast-evolving threats in space at a time when humanity is increasingly dependent on earth-orbiting satellites. (Jan. 22, 2026)
LISTEN: When will the Space Force station humans in orbit?
Bill Woolf, the president and founder of the Space Force Association, joins the show to talk about the future of the U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon’s relationship with commercial satellites, and how soon the Space Force will station humans in orbit.
Listen to U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. John F. Bentivegna on the Threat Status podcast
John Bentivegna, the chief master sergeant of the U.S. Space Force, joins the show to talk about the future of the Space Force, the weaponization of space, and how America and its allies can work together in space.
Watch: U.S. is now in a ‘second Cold War’ in space
Then-United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno joined National Security Editor Guy Taylor and National Security Correspondent John T. Seward for an exclusive video interview at the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum, discussing the urgency of space operations in the great power competition between the U.S., China, Russia and more.
WATCH: Aerospace and the Trump administration’s push for acquisition reform
National Security Editor Guy Taylor sits down with Eric Fanning, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) for a discussion on challenges and opportunities at play within the evolving transformation of how the government acquires and delivers new tech for the U.S. military. (Dec. 11, 2025)
Space combat moves from science fiction to threat as China, Russia outpace U.S.
It’s gone from science fiction to a matter of serious military planning in a remarkably short time.
LISTEN: Why space is now a crucial warfighting domain
Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space, joins the show to talk about the weaponization of space, the future of space exploration, and the Golden Dome missile shield.
LISTEN: How will the U.S. manage space traffic?
Audrey Schaffer, a space policy expert and the vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot Aerospace, joins the show to talk about the growing amount of space traffic and whether the federal government should establish a department of space.
WATCH: Inside the great power battle for dominance in space
National Security Editor Guy Taylor sits down with Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a top developer of some of the biggest and most advanced rockets in the world and a key player in the race for missile defense superiority. (May 6, 2025)
‘Golden Dome’ and beyond: Confronting the futuristic threat landscape with L3Harris Technologies
National Security Editor Guy Taylor sits down with Ed Zoiss, the head of Space and Airborne Systems at L3Harris Technologies, for an in-depth discussion on the company’s pursuit of disruptive and innovative solutions. This video was sponsored by L3Harris. (Mar. 24, 2025)
