The United States Space Force, established five years ago, is rapidly taking action to address the current primary challenge: the threat of anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) from foreign adversaries such as China and Russia.
Satellites crucial for defense and global communication have long faced threats from ground-based interference and missile attacks. Orbital threats are the next frontier. According to CNN reports, experts and open-source information indicate that in recent years, both China and Russia have been advancing their technological developments for anti-space purposes. Experts suggest that with the intensification of geopolitical competition on Earth, China and Russia are increasingly aiming to weaken America’s space superiority.
As reported by The Hill, the US Space Force is constructing its space defense architecture to help modernize the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). This network monitors objects and potential threats in space.
US officials are exploring various methods to enhance detection and defense capabilities, including launching hundreds of military satellites into low-earth orbit, all in preparation for the Space Force to be ready by 2026 to navigate a more fiercely competitive environment in Earth’s orbit.
The Space Force has unveiled a strategy called “Competitive Endurance,” outlining three principles focusing on space domain awareness and technological development to protect satellites and other at-risk space structures.
This month, the Space Force awarded a contract worth approximately $100 million to the defense technology company Anduril Industries in hopes of establishing a more modernized space defense architecture and command control network by the deadline of 2026.
In high orbit, the Space Force is developing a new system called Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) for deep-space tracking. DARC involves ground radars, aiming to have three sites operational by the end of this decade, with the first in Western Australia.
Patrick Binning, Director of National Security Space Mission Area at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, stated that his team has been instrumental in researching and developing the technology for DARC, a critical asset for monitoring space adversaries.
Experts caution that space-based threats are highly concerning as they may disrupt communication infrastructure, GPS, and pose risks to everyday travel and banking systems used worldwide.
Charles Galbreath, Senior Resident Researcher on Space Studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, emphasized that the American public should understand the risks if conflict with adversaries leads to attacks on US space capabilities, stating that it would not only impact military personnel but also the lives of all citizens and people around the world.
Space Systems Command Commander Philip Garrant focuses on procuring new weapon systems for the Space Force, calling the efforts of the entire service a “call to action.”
Last November, US Space Force Space Operations Commander Chance Saltzman spoke in Washington and explained the need for the US to have the capability to counter China’s space capabilities. He mentioned that the Chinese military employs a “kill chain” strategy to enhance the range and accuracy of their weapons within the strategically significant “second island chain” from Japan to Guam.