The US Space Force is teaming up with Rocket Lab and True Anomaly for a groundbreaking mission called Victus Haze, aiming to demonstrate the military's ability to counter "on-orbit aggression." In this exercise, a spacecraft from Rocket Lab will pursue and inspect a satellite made by True Anomaly, simulating a response to potential threats from adversaries like China or Russia. This mission is part of the Space Force's efforts to validate Tactically Responsive Space capabilities and compress the time it takes to prepare and launch satellites, with the goal of being able to respond rapidly to on-orbit aggression.
Lt. Gen. David Miller of the U.S. Space Force's Space Operations Command expects the private sector to play a crucial role in providing space tracking data and analytics capabilities to address the increasing congestion and threats to satellites in orbit. He emphasized the need for actionable intelligence and rapid decision cycles, pointing out that commercial companies can help with analytics, data interpretation, and speed in decision cycles. The Space Force is refining its plan to leverage commercial services and is expected to release a document examining how it could partner with the commercial space industry in the near future.
SpaceX successfully launched the classified USSF-124 mission for the U.S. Space Force, sending six satellites to orbit for national security purposes. The mission, shrouded in secrecy, marks the seventh launch and landing for the Falcon 9 rocket. The Space Force remained tight-lipped about the details of the mission until the day of the launch, emphasizing the strengthening of America's capabilities and deterrence against growing threats. This launch is part of a busy period in spaceflight, with additional SpaceX and Russian missions scheduled.
The U.S. military is eyeing SpaceX's Starship for potential use in rapidly transporting supplies and even troops around the world in under an hour, with plans to leverage the rocket's speed and payload capacity. SpaceX's long-term goal for a completely reusable spacecraft with significant payload capacity has caught the attention of the Department of Defense, which sees the potential for national security implications. The military's interest in Starship aligns with China's advancements in space technology, as both countries aim to expand their capabilities in space exploration and potentially influence global geopolitics.
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) was a top-secret US program in the 1960s aimed at sending a crewed spy satellite to space to obtain high-resolution photographic imagery of US adversaries like the Soviet Union. Prompted by the need for rapid and reliable intelligence during the Cold War and the Vietnam War, the program aimed to marry the capabilities of spy planes and photo reconnaissance satellites by operating a crewed spy satellite in space. Although the program never made it to space, it was intended to provide real-time intelligence gathering and circumvent limitations faced by traditional satellites.
South Korea has launched its first military spy satellite, carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, intensifying the space race with North Korea. The satellite successfully reached orbit and will enhance South Korea's reconnaissance capacity to monitor North Korea. Seoul plans to launch four more spy satellites by 2025. The satellite, capable of detecting objects as small as 30cm, ranks among the top five globally in terms of resolution and Earth observation. This launch comes after North Korea successfully launched its own spy satellite, which could improve its intelligence-gathering capabilities.
South Korea successfully launched its first military spy satellite into space, following North Korea's recent claim of launching its own spy satellite. The satellite, launched from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, is the first of five that South Korea plans to send into space by 2025. The launch allows South Korea to acquire an independent space-based surveillance system and enhance its preemptive missile strike capability. North Korea's satellite launch has sparked condemnations, with the United Nations viewing it as a cover for testing long-range missile technology. Tensions between the two Koreas have escalated, with both sides taking steps to breach a previous military agreement meant to ease tensions.
The US Space Force launched a rocket carrying American spy satellites into a high-altitude geosynchronous orbit, as part of a top-secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) mission called "Silent Barker." The satellites will provide better surveillance capabilities in the "geo belt" and help detect any adversarial assets that could pose a threat in outer space. The launch highlights the fierce competition among world powers to dominate space, with concerns rising over Russia and China's development of anti-satellite technologies. The Space Force aims to have a fully operational spy spacecraft system by 2026.
