:

Advanced / Transformational Technology

Space Force May Need Uptick In Wallops Island Launches Due To Commercial Demand

Frank Wolfe

Thursday, March 26th, 2026

SHARE:

Space Force May Need Uptick In Wallops Island Launches Due To Commercial Demand

Pictured is a Rocket Lab photo of the company's Electron rocket launching from Wallops Island, Va. on December 18, 2025 carrying the U.S. Space Force's Space Test Program S30 mission.

While the Space Force has used Wallops Island, Va., to launch niche missions, including small-satellite orbital and sounding rocket hypersonic suborbital launches, the service may need to ensure that it is able to ramp up launches there significantly, the head of U.S. Space Command said on Thursday. Wallops "has been an amazing story over the last decade," Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in response to a question from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on…

Senators Push Navy Against Single Destroyer Request In FY ’27

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the two senators from Maine last week pushed back on Navy officials for only requesting one Arleigh Burke-class destroyer (DDG-51) […]

Navy Looks To Eventually Assemble Battleship At HII Newport News; Faces More Dem Opposition

The Navy told lawmakers this week it found a dry dock at HII’s [HII] Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard it thinks can use for final assembly of the new Trump-class battleship […]

Navy Leaders Downplay Looking At Foreign Navy Shipbuilding Amid Lawmaker Objections

The Navy’s top leaders this week seemed to downplay and back down on the service potentially using foreign shipyards to build U.S. Navy ships or buying foreign designed warships overseas […]

Army

Senate Defense Appropriators See ‘Risk’ With Army’s Reconciliation Plan To Fund Munitions Increase

The Senate’s top defense appropriators cited concern this week with the Army’s request to fund the majority of its large increase to munitions procurement in fiscal year 2027 through the […]