The US Space Force announced on Thursday, April 11, 2024, a new partnership with aerospace companies Rocket Lab and True Anomaly to launch a mission designed to simulate a response to potential threats in space. The mission, named Victus Haze, aims to showcase the military's ability to counter "on-orbit aggression," an increasingly concerning possibility as space becomes more contested.
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illustration of satellite aggression in high altitude space (Picture source Army Recognition )

The demonstration will involve a spacecraft built and launched by Rocket Lab that will intercept another satellite, developed by True Anomaly, to simulate a threat scenario in space. This exercise, described by the Space Force as an "on-orbit space domain awareness demonstration," is critical as nations deploy more assets into space with ambiguous capabilities and intents.

Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force's vice chief of space operations, highlighted the strategic necessity of the mission. "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," Guetlein stated.

In the scenario envisioned for Victus Haze, True Anomaly's spacecraft will launch first, acting as a satellite from a potential adversary. Rocket Lab's satellite will then be launched on command to approach and inspect the "adversarial" satellite. The two satellites will later switch roles to further test the response strategies.

Even Rogers, co-founder and CEO of True Anomaly, called the mission "pretty sporty," highlighting its ambitious nature and the technological leaps it intends to demonstrate. "This demonstration will ultimately prepare the United States Space Force to provide future forces to combatant commands to conduct rapid operations in response to adversary on-orbit aggression," a Space Systems Command spokesperson explained.

The Victus Haze mission builds on the success of last year's Victus Nox mission, which also focused on tactically responsive space capabilities but involved a quicker turnaround. The Space Force and its partners, including Firefly Aerospace and Millennium Space Systems, managed to prepare and launch the Victus Nox satellite in record time, demonstrating the potential for rapid response in space logistics.

Col. Bryon McClain, program executive officer for space domain awareness and combat power at Space Systems Command, emphasized the strategic value of these missions. "We recognize the significant opportunity to leverage the commercial space industry’s innovations to counter China as America’s pacing threat," he stated.

True Anomaly has faced challenges in the past, with a recent failure in their satellite rendezvous demonstration, but remains optimistic about their upcoming missions. The company has announced plans for two more demonstration missions before Victus Haze.

The contracts for the mission reflect significant investment, with Rocket Lab receiving $32 million and True Anomaly getting a $30 million contract from SpaceWERX, in addition to $30 million in private capital from True Anomaly itself.

As the mission progresses, it will move through several phases, including hot standby, activation, alert, and launch, each designed to ensure readiness and responsiveness. True Anomaly’s Jackal satellite will launch from either Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Vandenberg Space Force Base, with Rocket Lab’s launch following within 24 hours from a site in New Zealand or Virginia.

This mission represents not only a test of technological and operational capabilities but also an attempt to shift the culture within the Space Force towards faster, more agile responses in the increasingly dynamic realm of space.Space becoming as the MBT was in the XXe century the cornerstone of battles.

Defense News April 2024