US weapons now in orbit & Space Force launch and buildup - Space News (Sep 16, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Prezi: Create AI presentations fast - https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily Today's topics: US weapons now in orbit - The U.S. Air Force secretary has confirmed for the first time that America has deployed on-orbit space control weapons, marking a major shift in space security policy and raising questions about militarization and deterrence in space. Keywords: on-orbit weapons, space control, Troy Meink, U.S. military, deterrence.[11][12][13][2] Space Force launch and buildup - SpaceX is preparing to launch the classified USSF-259 mission for the U.S. Space Force from Vandenberg after a scrubbed attempt, underscoring the growing tempo of national security launches and the service’s broader expansion plans. Keywords: USSF-259, Space Force, Falcon 9, national security, NSSL.[8][2][7] Russian cargo flight to ISS - Russia’s Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the Progress MS-35 cargo ship has been rolled out again to Baikonur’s launch pad after fixing a third-stage issue, with liftoff set to send supplies to the International Space Station. Keywords: Progress MS-35, Soyuz-2.1b, Baikonur, ISS cargo, Roscosmos.[16][6][7] Artemis III lunar mission prep - The Artemis III astronaut crew has visited the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center to inspect booster integration, a visible step toward the first planned lunar landing of the Artemis era. Keywords: Artemis III, NASA, lunar mission, Kennedy Space Center, Vehicle Assembly Building.[14][2] Starship first orbital attempt - SpaceX’s Starship is targeting its first orbital flight attempt next week, a pivotal milestone for fully reusable heavy-lift launch systems that could reshape how payloads and crews reach space. Keywords: Starship, orbital test, SpaceX, reusable rocket, launch schedule.[6][2] Webb’s changing Chariklo rings - New James Webb Space Telescope observations show that the rings around the small body Chariklo have changed opacity over just a few years, revealing unexpectedly dynamic ring behavior around minor Solar System objects. Keywords: Chariklo, JWST, changing rings, stellar occultation, Science Advances.[15][5] Venus may have lost its moon - A new study suggests Venus may once have had a moon that slowly spiraled inward and crashed into the planet because of Venus’s sluggish rotation, offering a fresh angle on the planet’s evolution. Keywords: Venus moon, slow rotation, orbital decay, planetary formation, Astrophysical Journal.[18][5] Webb’s new view of galaxy M64 - Webb’s latest view of the Black Eye Galaxy, M64, combines infrared and optical data to reveal dust, star formation, and evidence of a past merger, sharpening our picture of how spiral galaxies evolve. Keywords: M64, Black Eye Galaxy, JWST, Hubble, galaxy merger.[17][4][19] Episode Transcript US weapons now in orbit Our first story is the one that changes the tone of space politics: the United States has now publicly confirmed that it has weapons deployed in orbit.[11][12][13] Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Air, Space & Cyber Conference that the Department of the Air Force has “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”[11][12][13] He did not say what these systems are, how many exist, or when they were launched, and he declined to explain why the announcement was made now, but the admission itself is unprecedented.[11][12][13] Why is this significant? For years, U.S. officials hinted at defensive capabilities in orbit, but stopped short of saying there were actual weapons already there.[12] By confirming deployed “space control weapons,” the government has effectively signaled that it is ready to talk openly about space as a potential theater of conflict, not just a place for communications and research.[11][12][13] This could reshape how other countries think about deterrence, how they design their own space systems, and how diplomats frame future agreements on what is acceptable behavior in orbit.[12][13] It also raises questions for the public: what counts as a “defensive” weapon in space, and where do we draw the line between protecting satellites and escalating an arms race above Earth.[11][12][13] Space Force launch and buildup Closely tied to that first story is the broader buildup of the U.S. Space Force and its launch activity.[2] In the past day, SpaceX scrubbed an initial attempt to launch the USSF-259 national security mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base and reset for a backup window, with liftoff now targeted in a four-hour slot that opens at 6 p.m. Pacific time tonight.[8][7] The mission is a Falcon 9 flight carrying a classified payload for the Space Force, expected to enter a high-inclination low