In future wars, military satellites will likely no longer be locked in orbit. 

Satellites in a predictable orbit are easy targets, known positions on a map that can be bypassed or neutralized, said Space Command’s leader, Gen. Stephen Whiting, during Space Symposium at The Broadmoor. Space Command is charged with defending American interests from 100 kilometers above the Earth out to infinity.

“New warfare demands rapid, focused and unexpected actions that shatter the enemy’s cohesion,” he said. 

To prepare for that future, analysts are conducting simulations in a lab, an effort known as the Apollo Maneuvers, he said. 

One of the limitations to moving satellites in orbit is fuel. Traditionally, satellites have been launched with all the fuel they will ever use. 

Companies including Orbit Fab, with offices in Lafayette, and Astroscale, with U.S. headquarters in Denver, are contracted with the military to demonstrate on-orbit refueling.

During the symposium, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, who leads Space Systems Command, said he expected refueling would be a standard capability of future generations of satellites. Space Systems Command is charged with purchasing technology for the Space Force.

China has been pulling ahead of the U.S. in this area, demonstrating orbital refueling, Whiting said.  

“These technologies may be presented as peaceful, and perhaps some of them are for now, but capability, not intent, shapes deterrence,” Whiting said.

The Chinese have also demonstrated a grappling arm that pulled another satellite out of orbit.  

Commercial companies are also working on this issue. 

One Canadian company, MDA Space, offers “Midnight,” a satellite that features a grappling arm. The arm can be used to reposition, de-orbit or refuel other spacecraft. The Midnight platform as a whole is designed for defense organizations, the company said. 

The arm, called MDA Skymaker, is a commercially available version of the Canadarm. The original Canadarm was made famous by the Space Shuttle, and an updated variant called Canadarm2 is onboard the International Space Station.

Gazette reporter Alex Edwards contributed to this report.