Rocket Lab and True Anomaly will try and ship and function house {hardware} for the army underneath deliberately tight time frames, as a part of the Area Power’s push to solicit “tactically responsive” house capabilities from business firms.
Every firm will design and construct a satellite tv for pc able to rendezvousing with different spacecraft in orbit at shut proximity, in addition to command and management facilities for the mission. As a part of Rocket Lab’s $32 million contract, it is going to additionally launch the satellite tv for pc with its Electron rocket. True Anomaly will companion with an unnamed “trusted commercial launch provider” for its experience underneath its personal $30 million contract, in accordance with a press release.
Notably, True Anomaly mentioned it will additionally “leverage $30 million of internal private capital” for the mission, so it is going to spend a mixed $60 million to face up its Jackal for this contract.
The goal for spacecraft supply underneath the contract, known as Victus Haze, is fall 2025. As soon as the spacecraft have been constructed, the 2 firms will enter successive phases, together with a “hot standby” part the place they need to basically stay prepared to answer the Division of Protection’s discover to manifest the satellite tv for pc and launch. As soon as in orbit, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly should quickly fee and prepared their spacecraft for operations — with one another.
If all goes to plan, Rocket Lab’s Pioneer satellite tv for pc will conduct the so-called rendezvous and proximity operations with True Anomaly’s Jackal spacecraft.
The brand new contracts are just like these awarded to Firefly and Millennium Area in 2022, which noticed Millennium ship the satellite tv for pc for launch by Firefly. That mission, called Victus Nox, was executed final September. Underneath that mission, the 2 firms needed to combine the payload and prepared the rocket in lower than 58 hours; then, Firefly was given simply 24 hours to launch.
Whereas precise timelines for the Victus Haze mission weren’t disclosed by both Rocket Lab or True Anomaly, the previous firm did say in a press release that the mission “will improve … processes and timelines.”
The brand new mission additionally features a handful of extra, formidable necessities, like on-orbit spacecraft maneuvering, which is supposed to simulate a real-life rendezvous with an adversary satellite tv for pc.
“We recognize the significant opportunity to leverage the commercial space industry’s innovations to counter China as America’s pacing threat,” Area Techniques Command program govt officer Col. Bryon McClain mentioned in a press release. “The United States has the most innovative space industry in the world. Victus Haze will demonstrate, under operationally realistic conditions, our ability to respond to irresponsible behavior on orbit.”
