Getting satellites into orbit is a complicated process. It usually takes months to prepare a spacecraft for launch, and the spacecraft itself was typically ordered years earlier. That won’t do in wartime. U.S. military forces are so dependent on satellites for communications, reconnaissance, attack warnings and even weather reports that if they are lost or degraded in wartime, they need to be replaced quickly. The Space Force is implementing a multifaceted program to defend its satellites against attack, but losses in a conflict with other great powers have to be assumed. For example, a nuclear blast in low earth orbit could disable a dozen satellites planned for the Pentagon’s space transport and tracking layer. What to do? In September, two space companies demonstrated a promising solution, in a military mission designated “Victus Nox” (‘conquer the night’ in Latin). With funding provided by the Space Systems Command, Millennium Space and Firefly Aerospace managed to prepare a payload and get it into orbit in days, breaking records for such a mission. Millennium Space is the small-satellite subsidiary of Boeing. Firefly Aerospace is part of the diverse air and space portfolio managed by AE Industrial Partners. Boeing contributes to my think tank. Victus Nox was essentially an experiment to see how quickly the Space Force could orbit a satellite capable of monitoring tactical developments above the atmosphere. The goal was to compress the timelines required for integrating, launching, and bringing to operational status the satellite.
Full story : Record-Fast Victus Nox Mission Demonstrates U.S. Space Force Will Be Able To Turn On A Dime In Future Conflicts.
