Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Air Force Space Command, sat down with SpaceNews military space reporter Mike Gruss to outline his vision for the service’s space operations for the next several years.
During the conversation, which took place Dec. 16 at the Pentagon, Gen. Hyten discusses:
- how Space Command will approach the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration
- how the Air Force will move forward on a new rocket engine to replace the Russian-made RD-180
- when the service will unveil its next-generation programs and capabilities
- the status of SpaceX’s certification efforts
- how he envisions the Defense Department managing satellite communication capabilities
