True Anomaly (Military Hunter/Pursuit Satellite Company)

[su27k]

Website: https://www.trueanomaly.space/

Who is True Anomaly

True Anomaly is revolutionizing space security and sustainability with fully-integrated mission technologies designed to protect the interests of the United States and its Allies. We operate at the intersection of autonomous vehicles and big data to deliver unmatched capabilities on-orbit for decision advantage here on earth.

Orbital Pursuit

Jackal is an Autonomous Orbital Pursuit Vehicle designed for counterspace and ISR missions in LEO, GEO, and other orbits.

Command and control are conducted through intelligent human-machine teaming, where AI Pilots help human operators plan complex no-fail missions and execute them with multiple spacecraft.

Jackal operates safely at close ranges to collect multi-spectral imagery, full-motion video, and metric observation data of any resident space object in any orbit. Processing can be done at the edge, transport layer, or cloud using our next-generation Mission Control System.

[su27k]

Enter the Hunter Satellites Preparing for Space War

FORMER US AIR Force major Even “Jolly” Rogers is worried about a space war. “Conflict exists on a continuum that begins with competition and ultimately leads into full-scale conflict like what you’re seeing in Ukraine,” he says. The US, he adds, is already “in active competition with Russia and China for freedom of action and dominance of the space domain. And it’s evolving very quickly.”

So on January 26 last year, the former US Air Force major incorporated True Anomaly, Inc to “solve the most challenging orbital warfare problems for the US Space Force,” he later tweeted.

According to a recent filing with the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC), True Anomaly is now gearing up for its first orbital mission. In October, True Anomaly hopes to launch two Jackal “orbital pursuit” spacecraft aboard a SpaceX rocket to low earth orbit. The Jackals will not house guns, warheads, or laser blasters, but they will be capable of rendezvous proximity operations (RPO)—the ability to maneuver close to other satellites and train a battery of sensors upon them. This could reveal their rivals’ surveillance and weapons systems, or help intercept communications.

[edzieba]

Assuming the Jackal renderings are accurate, it looks designed to be a bus for a hosted payload: the folded arrays terminate far 'above' the upper surface, and the bus structure itself (double cone) looks tailor made to have a heavy object mounted on top in that otherwise 'dead' volume that would be occupied inside the fairing of the vehicle it launches on.

[jongoff]

I'm not sure if there's another True Anomaly thread, but just wanted to post the link to the contract they were just awarded to build and fly one of their Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicles as part of the Victus Haze mission: https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Portals/3/Documents/PRESS%20RELEASES/Space%20Systems%20Command%20awards%20Tactically%20Responsive%20Space%20(TacRS)%20contracts%20in%20support%20of%20VICTUS%20HAZE%20mission.pdf?ver=aiTDx8FZuvXQ8sIlDUvLww%3d%3d

https://twitter.com/The_TrueAnomaly/status/1778451848179105853
https://twitter.com/The_TrueAnomaly/status/1778451929607422327
https://twitter.com/The_TrueAnomaly/status/1778452050277478467
https://twitter.com/The_TrueAnomaly/status/1778452128870302190

[gongora]

Space Systems Command awards Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) contracts in support of VICTUS HAZE mission

Summary: VICTUS HAZE will demonstrate, under operationally realistic conditions, U.S. Space Force’s ability to respond to irresponsible behavior on orbit.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The United States Space Force (USSF)’s Space Systems Command (SSC)’s Space Safari Program Office, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and SpaceWERX, is awarding contracts to two separate space industry vendors. The vendors will exercise a realistic threat response scenario in an on-orbit space domain awareness (SDA) demonstration called VICTUS HAZE.

DIU awarded a contract to Rocket Lab National Security at a value of $32 million. SpaceWERX will award a contract to True Anomaly. Of the total $60 million needed for the effort, the government will fund $30 million, and True Anomaly will leverage $30 million of internal private capital.

“The commercial space industry is advancing at an unprecedented pace that will provide the Space Force additional options to quickly respond to adversary aggression,” said Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough, SSC’s materiel leader for Space Safari. “VICTUS HAZE will demonstrate and prove capabilities to be used for future TacRS operations in direct support of urgent Combatant Command on-orbit needs.”

With both efforts, VICTUS HAZE is leveraging commercially developed products to provide highly capable options for future TacRS operations. The multi-vehicle demonstration enables operationally relevant systems that can be leveraged for future urgent on-orbit needs. VICTUS HAZE will also enable the development of the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for a rapid response to on-orbit threats. “We recognize the significant opportunity to leverage the commercial space industry’s innovations to counter China as America’s pacing threat,” said Col. Bryon McClain, SSC’s program executive officer for Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power. “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.”

True Anomaly and Rocket Lab will both demonstrate their ability to build rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO) capable space vehicles (SVs) and command and control centers with a delivery target no later than fall 2025. Once the build phase is completed the mission will enter several successive phases to include hot standby, activation, alert and launch phases. While this is a coordinated demonstration, each vendor will be given unique launch and mission profiles. True Anomaly’s SV will launch from either Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida or Vandenberg Space Force Base in California via a rapid rideshare.

Rocket Lab will launch via their Electron launch vehicle from either Mahia, New Zealand or Wallops Island, Virginia. Both SVs will quickly begin operations after reaching orbit. Once on orbit, the operations teams will conduct a variety of scenarios to demonstrate SDA and characterization capabilities.

The planning and execution of VICTUS HAZE is a multi-organization Department of Defense effort. SSC’s Space Safari partnered with the DIU to leverage their commercial market expertise along with their Commercial Solutions Opening and Other Transaction (OT) Authority to rapidly award. DIU will lead the contract and acquisitions administration for Rocket Lab National Security while Space Safari will provide programmatic oversight and execute the mission.

Space Safari partnered with SpaceWERX for assistance in the technical and commercial evaluation of True Anomaly and the push for an emergent SBIR selection by Space Force leadership. Space Safari is leading the contract administration, providing programmatic oversight, and will execute the mission capabilities True Anomaly will bring. As VICTUS HAZE continues toward mission success, many partners will be involved to play critical roles in this defining Space Force demonstration.

VICTUS HAZE leverages state of the art, commercial products and will prove new capabilities that enhance future operational TacRS missions. This demonstration will ultimately prepare the United States Space Force to provide future forces to Combatant Commands to conduct rapid operations in response to adversary on-orbit aggression.

Space Systems Command is the U.S. Space Force’s field command responsible for acquiring, developing, and delivering resilient capabilities to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in, from, and to space. SSC manages a $15.6 billion space acquisition budget for the Department of Defense and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, academic and allied organizations to outpace emerging threats. Our actions today are making the world a better space for tomorrow.