U.S. Space Force mission to enhance defense capabilities

THE WATCH STAFF

The U.S. Space Force launched an Atlas V rocket into orbit on December 7, 2021, to test capabilities ranging from space domain awareness to the quick detection of nuclear explosions.

United Launch Alliance sent the Space Test Program-3 (STP-3) mission into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United Press International (UPI) reported.

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program was created to fly experimental payloads to test technologies for potential future military missions, according to UPI. The STP-3 mission is made up of a primary spacecraft and a ride-share spacecraft, which are mostly classified.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Experiment Review Board selected nine payloads for the mission, the Marine Corps Times newspaper reported. The primary payload was an atmospheric burst reporting system, which was built to provide an improved ability to detect nuclear detonations.

The rocket also carried NASA’s laser communications relay demonstration. Although the U.S. Space Force did not identify all the payloads, it said they covered a host of capabilities, including space domain awareness and even weather experiments.

“STP-3’s successful launch and acquisition is a remarkable achievement for the entire team,” Col. Brian Denaro, program executive officer for space development, said in a statement. “This mission advances military and civil experimentation objectives by demonstrating next-generation space technologies in nuclear detonation detection, space situational awareness, weather and communication by providing critical data needed to reduce risk for future space programs.”

The launch mission also carried the Space Force’s Long Duration Propulsive ESPA spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft is design to host multiple experimental payloads and prototypes in geosynchronous orbit, the Marine Corps Times reported.

The Space Force refers to the system as a “freight train to space,” and its payloads feature space domain awareness, communications and space weather-sensing capabilities.

IMAGE CREDIT: JOSHUA CONTI/U.S. SPACE FORCE