Historically, Department of Defense (DoD) satellites have been custom-designed for specific missions, resulting in lengthy design and enhancement cycles and high costs per spacecraft. However, the renaissance of commercial space has introduced the potential for economies of scale through the design and manufacturing of numerous low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations. …

In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, the United States’ reliance on critical minerals has never been more pronounced. These non-fuel raw materials are essential for manufacturing products that are crucial to national security, ranging from the rare earth minerals in electric motors and generators to the carbon fiber used in …