The US Space Force is planning a groundbreaking mission to demonstrate how it can counter “on-orbit aggression” in space. The mission, called Victus Haze, will involve two companies, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly, and will be the first of its kind to test the military’s ability to respond to threats in space.
According to a statement from the Space Force’s Space Systems Command, the mission will involve a spacecraft built and launched by Rocket Lab chasing down another satellite made by True Anomaly. The two companies will exercise a realistic threat response scenario in an on-orbit space domain awareness demonstration.
The scenario could involve the satellite performing maneuvers that approach a US spacecraft or doing something else unusual or unexpected. In such a scenario, the Space Force wants to have the capability to respond, either to deter an adversary from taking action or to defend a US satellite from an attack.
“When another nation puts an asset up into space and we don’t quite know what that asset is, we don’t know what its intent is, we don’t know what its capabilities are, we need the ability to go up there and figure out what this thing is,” said Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force’s vice chief of space operations.
The mission is part of a series of military missions dedicated to validating Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) capabilities. With these efforts, the Space Force and its commercial partners have shown how they can compress the time it takes to prepare and launch a satellite.
Last year, the Space Force partnered with Firefly Aerospace and Millennium Space Systems on the Victus Nox mission, which was successfully launched in less than 60 hours after receiving launch orders. The Victus Haze mission is more complicated, involving two prime contractors, two spacecraft, and two rocket launches from different spaceports, all timed to occur with short timelines “to keep the demonstration as realistic as possible,” a Space Force spokesperson said.
The mission will demonstrate how the US can provide future forces to combatant commands to conduct rapid operations in response to adversary on-orbit aggression. It is a critical step in preparing the United States for space warfare and showcasing its ability to defend its assets in space.
The Victus Haze mission is a significant milestone in the development of TacRS capabilities, which are designed to provide the US with rapid and flexible space-based assets to support military operations. The mission will help the Space Force to better understand how it can operate in a contested space environment and respond to threats in real time.
The mission is also a testament to the growing importance of commercial partnerships in the development of space capabilities. By working with private companies like Rocket Lab and True Anomaly, the Space Force can leverage their expertise and resources to accelerate the development of new technologies and capabilities.
Overall, the Victus Haze mission represents a significant step forward for the US Space Force in demonstrating its ability to counter “on-orbit aggression” and defend its assets in space. It is a critical component of the military’s strategy to maintain dominance in space and protect its interests in this increasingly important domain.