US Space Force to Hold Orbital Defense Drill Amid Tensions with China and Russia

The United States Space Force is engaging in an unprecedented space exercise, dubbed Victus Haze, which is designed to test and demonstrate the military's capability to counter potential threats in space. This exercise is a collaborative effort with private companies Rocket Lab and True Anomaly. Rocket Lab is tasked with launching a spacecraft that will track down another satellite, representing a potential adversarial threat, constructed by True Anomaly. The simulation will run through scenarios such as a hostile satellite attempting to damage or spy on U.S. space assets.

The exercise comes in response to concerns about the growing capabilities of nations such as China, which has significantly increased its investment in space technologies, including a network of satellites capable of intelligence and reconnaissance that can monitor military operations. The Pentagon has expressed the need to develop strategies to defend against technologies like lasers or particle beams that adversaries could use against satellites in orbit.

This mission, which is part of the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program, is aimed at demonstrating the U.S. military's readiness to respond to on-orbit aggression and to ensure space domain awareness. It is scheduled for launch in 2025 and represents a broader strategic effort by the Space Force to maintain space security in the face of emerging space threats.