(USNewsMag.com) – On February 14th, the U.S. launched six satellites, including satellites that are equipped with advanced missile tracking technology, into orbit, a day after the U.S. learned Russia wants to target Western satellites by putting nuclear weapons into space.
In coordination with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Space Development Agency (SDA), one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets launched the six satellites.
Four satellites configured for tracking spacecraft belong to the SDA, and two satellites configured for the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program belong to the MDA. The Pentagon said the six satellites allow “hypersonic, ballistic, and other advanced threats” to be detected earlier.
The SDA has sent at least 27 satellites, including eight for detecting missiles and 19 for communications, into orbit since April 2023 as part of its initiative to increase its ability to track advanced weapons that can blast past hypersonic speed, or Mach 5. The SDA intends to have at least 161 satellites to support its mission.
The MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins said the launch of the six satellites is an “essential step forward” as the U.S. enters a new time for “missile warning, tracking and defense.”
The SDA Director Derek Tournear said launching the MDA and SDA satellites together allows the two organizations to “look at test targets from the same orbit at the same time,” allowing them to “see how the two sensors work together.”
The launch comes just one day after House Intelligence Chairman and Ohio Rep. Mike Turner released information to Congress about what he called “a serious national security threat.” Though he did not get into specifics, sources familiar with the information released by Turner describe the threat to be related to Russia’s plan to launch nuclear technology into space, which could potentially be used against satellites. However, it is believed that Russia has not yet launched its new technology.
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