USSF Considers New Satellites That Feature Self-Adjusting Orbits, Threat Response Written 15 December 2023

Space News reports that the US military “has long relied on large, expensive satellites parked in fixed orbits above the Earth.” Some US Space Force leaders “believe it’s time to change that model in favor of more mobile and renewable satellites that can maneuver to avoid attack.” USSF Space Systems Command Commander Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein said, “We’ve got to be better at dynamic space operations.” Speaking Dec. 13 at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower conference, Guetlein “said the strategic competition with China in space will require the U.S. to shift its reliance on fixed assets in preset orbits to more ‘dynamic’ systems – satellites that can move, be upgraded and adapt their tasks as needed.” The concept “was first unveiled by US Space Command’s deputy chief Lt. Gen. John Shaw, who recently retired.” He “described it as the need for satellites to maneuver away from threats or towards objects of interest.”
Full Story (Space News)