The Air & Space Brief: Ursa Major moves on rocket market, Elon’s bug woes, Pregnant cadets may get help, and more...

Hello and welcome to Defense One’s Air Force and Space Force newsletter. Here are our top stories of the week: 

3D rockets: Lockheed Martin’s pending purchase of Rocket Aerodyne opens the door for Colorado startup Ursa Major Technologies to become the only U.S. independent rocket supplier, Marcus Weisgerber reports. The company says it can 3D-print and assemble small rockets in a matter of days, and is now working to scale its technology to build even larger ones. 

Lockheed wants JADC2: In an interview, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet told Weisgerber that the Pentagon should digitally connect all of its major weapons, and that Lockheed would like to be the driver for that connection. The effort to get all systems interconnected is a cornerstone of Secretary Austin’s Joint All Domain Command and Control, or JADC2, strategy. Read on, here.

CADET Act: Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the Candidates Afforded Dignity, Equality, and Training, or CADET, Act of 2021, which would ensure that students at the Air Force Academy and other service academies aren’t forced to choose between their baby and their military career if they get pregnant. Seven Air Force Academy cadets have either resigned or been disenrolled from the Air Force Academy over the past decade because they had dependents, Jacqueline Feldscher reports.  

Elon’s got a bug problem: Seems even SpaceX needs bug spray these days: A low-flying pesticide plane dusted Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, this weekend to combat a mosquito problem. Elon Musk tweeted, “seriously, we’re getting eaten alive. Can’t get to Mars if the bugs eat us first.” 

Sign up to get The Air & Space Brief every Monday from Tara Copp, Defense One’s Senior Pentagon Reporter. On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order desegregating the U.S. military and directed “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the Armed Services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” 

From Defense One

Pregnant Cadets, Midshipmen Must Give Up Their Child Or Their Career. Two Senators Want To Change That. // Jacqueline Feldscher: Sens. Ted Cruz and Kirsten Gillibrand have introduced a bill to give pregnant students at military schools more options.

Rocket Startup Could Get Huge Boost from Lockheed Martin Buying Aerojet Rocketdyne // Marcus Weisgerber: Ursa Major is developing a family of rocket engines for commercial and defense customers.

Exclusive Interview: Lockheed’s CEO Wants His Company to Connect All the Pentagon’s Weapons // Marcus Weisgerber: Jim Taiclet has been forming alliances with commercial firms in an attempt to give Lockheed a leg up over its competitors.