The U.S. Defense Department is funding a project to investigate the refueling of orbiting spacecraft, a concept that could have military and commercial applications, according to published reports.

A pair of separate research studies indicates that not only may the Earth be experiencing a higher rate of asteroid and comet impacts than earlier in its history, large impacts can be even more devastating than once believed.

Analysts have released a new model that predicts 2,147 satellites will be launched between now and 2009, an increase of 1 percent over their estimates for last year.

Brigadier General S. Pete Worden argues that the military has distinct technological advantages that would make them an ideal agency to be tasked with searching for potentially threatening asteroids.

An Air Force general said this week that the best way for the United States to handle the growing importance of space operations in the 21st century is not through the creation of a separate 'Space Force'.

A recent survey reveals that while only a minority of the American public is interested in one form of space tourism, those who are interested are willing to spend large sums of money to participate.