COLORADO SPRINGS WASHINGTON The promise and potential of network-centric warfare (NCW) is reshaping U.S. military doctrine, operations and acquisition plans. Much of the impetus has come from innovative troops in combat and forwardthinking Pentagon “mavericks,” who believe warfighting tenets must change dramatically to meet current and projected threats.

PARIS French space policy and national space agency CNES need to be radically overhauled to improve the efficiency of Europe’s space effort and restore confidence in its launcher program. That’s the inescapable conclusion being drawn in the wake of a highly critical blue-ribbon commission’s report on the agency.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER The U.S. space program is this week completing one of the most intensive periods of astronaut-tended science it has ever flown, combining sprint-like around-the-clock research by the Columbia’s STS-107 crew with more marathon-type investigations by the International Space Station Expedition 6 team.

WASHINGTON The two U.S.-based space launch companies that use the Russian Block DM upper stage will analyze Russian findings on why the stage failed to push the Astra 1K communications satellite to its proper orbit last year before they attempt any more launches with the stage themselves.

WASHINGTON In a bid to quickly destroy elusive threats, U.S. Air Force researchers are considering the development of a category of weapons that would be lying in wait, ready to attack fleeting targets rather than having to wait for surveillance aircraft to detect them and call in a raid.

WASHINGTON The flow of exotic, advanced technologies out of U.S. workshops continues to ramp up in anticipation of conflict with Iraq. Planners also are taking steps to ensure that critical information gathered by satellites and other intelligence assets is fed immediately to tactical commanders, rather than risk having it missed by national intelligence agencies.