US Space Command says it needs more maneuverable satellites

Enlarge / Artist’s concept of a fuel depot in space. (credit: Orbit Fab)

Imagine you purchased a vehicle that needed to last eight years on a single tank of gas. You would probably avoid sharp accelerations, keep a close eye on the fuel gauge, and wouldn’t leave the driveway unless it was a vitally important trip.

That was the analogy outlined Thursday by Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander of US Space Command, for how the Space Force operates its reconnaissance satellites.

“The way we’ve been doing space operations since the dawn of the Space Age—we’ve been doing it wrong,” Shaw said in an event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.