The US Space Force is partnering with two companies to launch a demonstration mission showing how the military would respond to an orbital adversary.
As part of its Victus Haze mission, the Space Force awarded a $32 million contract to Rocket Lab and another $30 million contract to True Anomaly to “provide a realistic threat response scenario in on-orbit space -Domain awareness scenario,” said a opinion released on Thursday.
Rocket Lab will build and launch its own spacecraft using the company’s Electron rocket, while True Anomaly will build a rendezvous and proximity operations capable spacecraft and provide a command and control center. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2025, at which time each company will receive its own launch and mission profiles.
In orbit, the Space Force will use the two spacecraft to play out scenarios that could be perceived as threatening in space, be it a satellite aimed at destroying a U.S. spacecraft or spying on a U.S. military satellite for information to collect.
“We recognize the significant opportunity to leverage the commercial space industry’s innovations to counter China as America’s pressing threat,” Col. Bryon McClain, Space System Command’s program manager for Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power, said in a statement. “VICTUS HAZE will demonstrate our ability to respond to irresponsible behavior in orbit under operationally realistic conditions.”
This reminds us of the Official Space Force painting a retrofuturistic battle in orbit in which a US spaceplane intercepted an “enemy” satellite to prevent it from disabling a “friendly” satellite. The Space Force is clearly preparing for an impending battle on the final frontier.
The newest military branch was created in December 2019 to protect America’s growing interests in space. As such, the Space Force is responsible for managing space launches, tracking objects in orbit, and maintaining global positioning satellites and various weather and communications satellites, in addition to promoting the development of space-based capabilities.
Besides, the orbital military department is so ready for a space war.
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