WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office will launch its first three satellite payloads this weekend, five years after the organization was created to quickly develop and field high-priority space systems.
The three payloads are operational prototypes — two will provide “enhanced situational awareness,†and the third will test a secure space-to-ground communications capability, according to a Space Force news release.
Space RCO spokesman Matthew Fetrow confirmed to C4ISRNET that the payloads, which are part of the Space Force’s USSF-67 mission, are the office’s first projects to take flight.
Congress established the Space RCO in fiscal 2018 as part of a push to speed up space acquisition, particularly for critical capabilities. The office, which received its first projects in 2019, aims to field systems within five years of inception.
USSF-67 is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the evening of Jan. 14, flying on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. This will mark the rocket’s second military launch, which is part of the National Security Space Launch program.
The Falcon Heavy’s first mission, USSF-44, flew in November. Following the launch, the company — owned by billionaire Elon Musk — recovered the rocket’s two side boosters, which provide the thrust needed to carry it beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The USSF-67 launch will reuse those boosters this weekend, and SpaceX will again attempt to recover them.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force’s program executive officer for space, said in a statement that while the mission is “complex,†the service has worked closely with SpaceX “to ensure all boxes are checked.â€
Along with the Space RCO payloads, the mission will feature the Space Force’s Continuous Broadcast Augmenting Satellite Communications-2 satellite and two payloads from Space Systems Command.
According to the command, CBAS-2 will augment existing satellite communications systems and provide data relay capabilities for senior military leaders and combatant commanders. Space-based relay links will enable the satellite’s continuous broadcasting feature.
The mission will also include a Long Duration Propulsive ESPA ring, LPDE-3A, which allows the service to integrate multiple, diverse payloads on a single mission. The Space RCO and Space Systems Command payloads will be integrated on LDPE-3A, built by American firm Northrop Grumman.
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
