Trump Taps Space Execs For Military Space Roles

President Donald Trump has nominated two industry veterans to serve in prominent military space positions. Top line: Trump has nominated:  Raytheon VP Erich Hernandez-Baquero, to serve as the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration.  V2X Chief Growth Officer Roger Mason, to serve as head of the NRO. Both nominees will need to be confirmed by the Senate before they can get on the job.  Acquisition chief: If confirmed, Hernandez-Baquero would replace Frank Calvelli, who resigned in January 2025 at the end of the Biden administration. (The position was held in an acting capacity until February 2026 by Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, and now by Thomas Ainsworth.) Hernandez-Baquero’s nomination comes at a time when the administration and Pentagon are reworking the space acquisition process to cut red tape, prioritize speed, and encourage commercial partnerships. Hernandez-Baquero is a retired Air Force colonel. He currently serves as Raytheon’s VP for space ISR. Spy sat chief: Mason would succeed NRO Director Chris Scolese, who has led the agency that oversees the nation’s spy sats since 2019. Mason previously worked in senior positions at Peraton and the DNI, with a focus on space and national intelligence.  Scolese, during his almost seven-year tenure, prioritized speed at the agency—and increased the secretive office’s work with private companies. (Scolese also came to the agency after a seven-year tenure as NASA Goddard director.) “We’re constantly innovating,” Scolese said in September . “We need to do more and more, not only to make the data that we’re bringing down today useful, but to make the data that we bring down in the future not only useful but better.” Related Stories Launch • Military The US Needs a New Launch Site, Air Force Secretary Says Traffic at US military launch sites is approaching max capacity. Military • Policy Dems Warn Golden Dome Will Accelerate the Nuclear Arms Race The Golden Dome missile defense system is intended to protect America—but Democratic lawmakers argue that it would have the opposite effect.    Military Guetlein: CBO is ‘Not Estimating What We’re Building’ The head of the Golden Dome program said CBO’s $1.2T cost estimate for the missile-defense program is way off base.  Military • Policy CBO Puts $1.2T Price Tag on Golden Dome The estimate is an order of magnitude larger than the $185B figure proposed by Golden Dome chief Gen. Michael Guetlein in March More Stories Lunar Astrobotic Hotfires Engine That Could Power Moon Missions Elizabeth Howell April 23, 2026 April 22, 2026 Share Twitter Linkedin Facebook Copy Email Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine hot fire. Image: Astrobotic Astrobotic Technology reportedly broke a hotfire record on a more efficient rocket engine designed for cislunar and logistics missions, the company announced today. The continuous burn of 300 seconds (five minutes) with one of their two Chakram engine prototypes was one of several tests the company conducted at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.  The company says the Chakram design—a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE)—could cut costs and increase capacity on future missions—especially cislunar ones. Keep reading Load More