The United States Space Force conducted its first live-fly orbital combat training exercise to simulate spacecraft dogfighting maneuvers in low Earth orbit on April 12, 2024. Military operators controlled tactical movements from ground stations to test proximity engagements against mock adversarial satellites.
Crews practiced close approaches in orbit
Two active spacecraft performed rendezvous and proximity operations while maintaining designated safety distances above Earth.
Personnel from the Space Training and Readiness Command directed the orbital interceptors through complex defensive trajectories designed to neutralize electronic jamming attempts and rapid positional threats while simultaneously maintaining critical tracking links across military communications networks. Crews tracked every movement. The test evaluated real-time decision cycles under simulated adversarial jamming conditions.
Department expands tactical training missions
United States Space Command allocated resources across 3 operational squadrons to analyze telemetry data gathered during the intercept runs. Engineers will apply the operational telemetry from the exercise to future missions planned for 2025.
The flight computer on the target vehicle recorded standard propellant consumption levels throughout the event.