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@vsamsondc.bsky.social

790 followers 460 following 1.1K posts

Hates the humidity, loves cats. Works on space policy for @swfoundation.bsky.social, but opinions are mine, not my organization's. She/her

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · Apr 3

It's out!! This monster has doubled in size from when we first started it in 2018; little did we know what we were getting ourselves into. Check out the 2025 edition 👇

Secure World Foundation @swfoundation.bsky.social · Apr 3

1/ Today SWF is releasing the 2025 version of our Global Counterspace Capabilities report, which tracks R&D, testing, & deployment of counterspace capabilities, edited by @VSamson_DC with editorial support by Laetitia Cesari.

swfound.org/counterspace/

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 59m

Reluctantly acknowledging that Odin's Eye is a pretty cool name for a missile EW system

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

www.reuters.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 1h

Col. Peter Atkinson, principal space advisor at the Department of the Army: "we included counterspace capabilities for the first time in our strategic priority list"

defensescoop.com/2025/10/15/a...

Army to prioritize counterspace tech in future budget requests

The Army will begin prioritizing new counterspace capabilities in its budget requests beginning in fiscal 2027.

defensescoop.com

Reposted

Secure World Foundation @swfoundation.bsky.social · 1d

One Week to Go | The 7th Summit for Space Sustainability

📅 October 22–23, 2025
📍 Centre de Conférences Pierre Mendès France | Paris, France

🔗 Final agenda & In person and Hybrid registration details available here: bit.ly/45Vd159

#SWFsummit25

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Reposted

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 4h

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 5h

A report by Project Ploughshares shows that Canadian sensors were used by the US in its extrajudicial attacks off the coast of Venezuela

ploughshares.ca/targeted-fro...

Targeted from above: Canadian sensors facilitating unlawful U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean - Project Ploughshares

On the morning of September 2, 2025, a small speedboat skims across open water somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. Suddenly, in a flash of white, it’s destroyed in a U.S.-launched airstrike. All 11 people...

ploughshares.ca

vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 1d

"the Swiss Armed Forces are looking to cover five main operational activities: space situational awareness, Earth observation (including signals intelligence), communications, precision navigation and counter-space."

aviationweek.com/defense/budg...

Switzerland Eyes Bigger Military Space Role With $1B Investment | Aviation Week Network

The Swiss government is looking to expand its military space capacity to field a range of capabilities, including counter-space, to safeguard its troops.

aviationweek.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 1d

"Bigelow slightly exaggerates the success rate. We haven’t tested the system since 2023. The test before that was 2019. Before that, 2017...The 44 interceptors now deployed are fitted with different versions of the flawed kill vehicle and boosters."

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

A House of Dynamite Explodes the Missile Defense Myth

It is no wonder the interceptors fail in the film. This is an accurate portrayal of what is likely to happen in a crisis.

newrepublic.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 1d

"China, on the other hand, frequently abandons upper stages in orbit. China launched 21 of the 26 hazardous new rocket bodies over the last 21 months, each averaging more than 4 metric tons (8,800 pounds)."
arstechnica.com/space/2025/1...

Removing these 50 objects from orbit would cut danger from space junk in half

“In their rush to move quickly, they are adding to the long-term collision hazard.”…

arstechnica.com

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Reposted

Phazzee 🐼🚀 | 中国航天 🇨🇳 | 🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @china-in-space.com · 2d

No Qianfan satellites have been launched since March due to satellites tumbling and propulsion failures, but a return to orbit may be close according to some hardware updates

Details -> www.china-in-space.com/p/shanghai-b...

Shanghai-Backed Qianfan Constellation May Be Nearing Return to Orbit

Technical issues may have kept the constellation grounded since March.

www.china-in-space.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 2d

That's quite the headline

www.spacedaily.com/reports/Myan...

Myanmar scam centres booming despite crackdown, using Musk's Starlink

Mae Sot/Paris, Thailand (AFP) Oct 14, 2025 - Scam centres in Myanmar blamed for swindling billions from victims across the world are expanding fast just months after a crackdown that was supposed to ...

www.spacedaily.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 2d

"The pact aims to align industrial capabilities with military requirements and support equipment production through agile acquisition processes, while maintaining a core group of companies responsible for sovereignty and resilience."

thedefensepost.com/2025/10/13/f...

France Launches ‘Space Pact’ to Strengthen Military Space Capabilities

France has launched the “Space Pact” to meet the armed forces’ needs and address emerging challenges in the space sector.

thedefensepost.com

vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 3d

This was a really fun conversation with M.C. Sungaila of the Portia Project where I talk about my recurring nightmare of being in space (...yes, I realize I work on space policy issues) and my meandering career path - check it out 👇

www.portiaprojectpodcast.com/episodes/vic...

Victoria Samson — Portia Project™

Space security shapes everything from global stability to everyday life on Earth, and it needs leaders who can bridge disciplines and drive collaboration.

www.portiaprojectpodcast.com

vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 3d

Space Force To Field Electromagnetic Warfare Operations Center In Next Few Months www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/202...

www.nationaldefensemagazine.org

vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 3d

I missed this last month: the USSF released a request for prototype proposals for its SBI program

sam.gov/workspace/co...

Sam Acquisition 360

sam.gov

vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 4d

NRO's Mitchell: “until we reach some type of almost unanimous agreement on what can be done in space, we are going to have those who treat it as a Wild Wild West, in which they can do whatever they want.” If only the UN were having talks about this

spacenews.com/the-real-spa...

The real space war is being fought in cyberspace

spacenews.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 4d

Yet another intel center has been created

breakingdefense.com/2025/09/spac...

Space Force creates new intel 'production' unit - Breaking Defense

"There's a great symbiosis here," said Lt. Col. Stefan Katz. "The crews from the 76th are focused on today's tasking, today's situation, today's mission and objectives, and the 4th [on] thinking longe...

breakingdefense.com

vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 4d

"SASC’s version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill includes a live fire requirement for Golden Dome" - so the elements of GD that already exist - the various missile defense systems - do conduct live fire tests. So would this be for the SBI layer?

breakingdefense.com/2025/09/sasc...

SASC Dems skeptical of Golden Dome price, feasibility - Breaking Defense

“We need a lot more information before we make decisions to spend hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars," said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

breakingdefense.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 4d

"While small — worth $3 million each for 24 months — the planned awards are part of a larger effort to promote what the SpRCO calls real-time “own-ship awareness” for US national security satellites."

breakingdefense.com/2025/10/spac...

Space Rapid Capabilities Office to put radars on sats to warn of space-bound threats - Breaking Defense

The plan is to award two vendors 24-month Direct to Phase II SBIR grants worth $3M each to demo low-cost, low-weight radars on Space Force satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit.

breakingdefense.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 4d

"A study published in 2025 by ETH Zurich identified 161 cyber operations which were conducted against the space sector in the context of the war in Ukraine." 2/2

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 4d

"There was also another objective to the attack: retaliation for the Russian cyberattack against Viasat, which crippled Ukrainian communications at the start of the invasion" 1/2

www.satellitetoday.com/cybersecurit...

Self-Attribution in Cyberspace: The Hack on Russia’s Dozor-Teleport Satellite Network

When the Wagner Group turned its guns against Moscow on June 23, 2023, the world watched a mercenary group openly defy the Kremlin. Just days later, on

www.satellitetoday.com

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Reposted

Secure World Foundation @swfoundation.bsky.social · 6d

#SWF was active at #IAC2025 in Sydney:
• @vsamsondc.bsky.socialspoke at multiple sessions & events
• ‪Chris Johnson presented on RPO law at IISL Colloquium
• Team members engaged globally
• SWF celebrated Mike Simpson Scholarship winners

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 6d

Gardiner: “With space control, [we’re] looking at … how do we as Australia best contribute not only to the defense of Australia and our immediate region, but then also [to] a credible capability, cooperatively within a partnership?”

breakingdefense.com/2025/10/aust...

Australian Space Command considers 'space control' options: Senior officer - Breaking Defense

"The ADF will seek space advantage to enable freedom of action by temporally assuring access and disrupting or denying an adversary use of the space domain, as required," states Australia's Concept SE...

breakingdefense.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 6d

Dark was going to build co-orbital counterspace capabilities for the French military; curious to see who picks up the mantle now

www.satellitetoday.com/finance/2025...

French Space Defense Startup Dark Shutters Operations

French space and defense startup Dark is shuttering its operations. Dark was focused on developing an air-launched spacecraft for defense.

www.satellitetoday.com

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 6d

Alvin Drew, NASA Space Sustainability director: "The CNSA message read, “We would like to recommend you hold still and we’ll do the maneuver...That’s the first time that has ever happened."

spacenews.com/china-and-u-...

China and U.S. take initial steps toward space-traffic coordination

spacenews.com

Reposted

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 8d

#WarRavagedPortland

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