Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the first public declaration Monday that the United States has placed "space control weapons" in orbit, an announcement that will surely reverberate in the power centers of Beijing and Moscow.
Space Force officials have previously expressed their interest in acquiring space-based weapons, and Pentagon leaders have become more open to discussing space warfare in recent years. Therefore, Meink's announcement Monday at the Air and Space Forces Association's annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference near Washington, DC, was not entirely unexpected.
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” Meink said in prepared remarks.
© US Space Force/David Dozoretz
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the first public declaration Monday that the United States has placed "space control weapons" in orbit, an announcement that will surely reverberate in the power centers of Beijing and Moscow.
Space Force officials have previously expressed their interest in acquiring space-based weapons, and Pentagon leaders have become more open to discussing space warfare in recent years. Therefore, Meink's announcement Monday at the Air and Space Forces Association's annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference near Washington, DC, was not entirely unexpected.
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” Meink said in prepared remarks.
© US Space Force/David Dozoretz
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the first public declaration Monday that the United States has placed "space control weapons" in orbit, an announcement that will surely reverberate in the power centers of Beijing and Moscow.
Space Force officials have previously expressed their interest in acquiring space-based weapons, and Pentagon leaders have become more open to discussing space warfare in recent years. Therefore, Meink's announcement Monday at the Air and Space Forces Association's annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference near Washington, DC, was not entirely unexpected.
“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” Meink said in prepared remarks.
© US Space Force/David Dozoretz
Welcome to this edition of The Intelligence Brief… This week, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster bound for Antarctica was forced to return to New Zealand after its crew received a warning of a “potentially hazardous” space-related activity reportedly involving a planned Russian missile launch. In our analysis, we’ll be looking at 1) how a Russian air traffic management warning prompted New Zealand authorities to issue a NOTAM affecting international airspace, 2) why the alert caused the Antarctic-bound U.S. military flight to reverse course, 3) the lingering uncertainty over whether the reported Russian missile launch ever actually occurred, and 4) why some analysts suspect the mysterious warning may represent another example of Russia’s broader campaign of information operations and “hybrid warfare” against the West.
“The plane turned around on the advice of New Zealand authorities who indicated that there was a space-related hazard enroute.”
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This week, an alarming story from the southernmost continent made headlines, as it was reported that a United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft on its way to Antarctica required an unexpected change of course after its crew was warned of a “potentially hazardous” space activity occurring in the area.
Within just hours of departing from Christchurch, New Zealand, at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the American military aircraft was forced to turn around following the release of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Early reports offered few details, indicating only that an unspecified “space hazard” had been what prompted the NOTAM, inevitably prompting speculation about what might have caused the unusual turn events.
So what do we currently know about the space-related mystery near Antarctica this week that caused a U.S. military aircraft to change its course?
Departing Christchurch under the call sign ICE28, the American C-17 Globemaster was on its way to Antarctica’s famous McMurdo Station. A logistics hub operated by the U.S. via the National Science Foundation, the station supports as many as 1,200 residents at the height of Antarctica’s busy summer science season—a number that shrinks back to around 200 workers who weather the colder Antarctic months.
The aircraft had only been traveling for three hours when a NOTAM came to its crew’s attention, prompting the Antarctic-bound aircraft to return to New Zealand. Early reports indicated that some kind of potential “hazard” had been identified; it was soon revealed that knowledge of this had reportedly been conveyed to CAA officials by the Russian State Air Traffic Management (ATM) Corporation.
Little else was known at that time, and on Wednesday, the New Zealand Herald reported that the country’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, had reached out to Moscow for more information after it was learned that Russian officials had reportedly planned to launch a missile in the area.
Officials with New Zealand’s CAA later confirmed that the Russian State ATM Corporation had alerted them about a “planned missile launch and associated potential hazard to international airspace,” specifically impacting New Zealand’s Oceanic Flight Information Region, an area of international waters over the South Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Tasman Sea covering as much as 29 million square kilometers, which is managed by Airways New Zealand.
Responding to the alert, the CAA issued a NOTAM for the area, which did not restrict all flights through the area, but which reportedly advised pilots to “make their decisions based on the information available,” according to a CAA statement issued this week.
To date, there is little evidence that any real weapons test ever even occurred. According to The Diplomat, there were reportedly never any Russian ships or aircraft confirmed around the time of the alleged launch. By contrast, a significant Russian presence was visible in the region earlier this year during a long-range ballistic missile launch conducted by China.
“So it appears that Russia’s warning is a dummy warning of a dummy missile,” Anne-Marie Brady wrote of the incident at The Diplomat, further characterizing the situation as a likely “information operation” evincing Moscow’s ongoing hybrid warfare efforts.
Similar incidents have been occurring for several years now. In December 2024, Andrea Kendall-Taylor with the Center for a New American Security characterized such events as part of a broader “hybrid war” Moscow has been continually waging against the West.
“While individually all these acts seem not to be important, when you bring them all together, they’re part of Russia’s hybrid war against the West,” Kendall-Taylor said.
As of Thursday, it remains unclear whether the alleged Russian missile launch ever really occurred, or if the incident that interrupted a U.S. Air Force aircraft’s annual flight to Antarctica was simply a false alarm prompted by a Russian “warning”—one that may yet prove to have been part of a broader issue the West has encountered with Moscow in recent years.
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of our newsletter at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or reach me on X: @MicahHanks.
Here are the top stories we’re covering right now…
New subsurface scans of Turkey’s controversial Durupınar Formation—a 157-meter (515-foot) geological feature long promoted by some researchers as the possible remains of Noah’s Ark—have reportedly identified subsurface anomalies that may challenge past assessments of the controversial site.
The findings, revealed in a press release and not yet detailed in research that has undergone peer-review, do not conclusively establish that the formation is artificial. However, according to researchers with Bakhtar Research and Engineering, LLC, and Noah’s Ark Scans, their preliminary data reveal newly identified features that warrant further investigation.
Scientists and religious scholars have long debated the historical basis of biblical narratives. However, the 1959 identification of the boat-shaped Durupınar Formation near Turkey’s Mount Ararat added a new dimension to the longstanding search for archaeological evidence associated with Noah’s Ark. Some researchers have argued that the formation’s dimensions and location resemble descriptions associated with the biblical vessel, while skeptics and geologists have generally maintained that the feature is a natural geological formation.
In a press release announcing the new analysis, the researchers said the survey marked the first use of BakhtarRadar at the controversial Durupınar site. The system was developed by project leader Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar, who, according to the release, has spent four decades developing detection technologies for organizations including the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and NORAD-USNORTHCOM. The team says the BakhtarRadar system used during the survey originated as a specialized subsurface imaging technology called EarthRadar, developed for the U.S. Air Force.
Joined by Noah’s Ark Scans founder Andrew Jones, Bakhtar conducted scans across the formation that the team says produced high-resolution, three-dimensional volumetric imagery of its subsurface features.
Before conducting the survey, the researchers outlined three primary objectives: determining whether the formation is a “single homogeneous mass of natural stone,” investigating whether it contains internal structures, and identifying the location of the underlying bedrock. The team also sought to determine whether that bedrock extends continuously beneath the surrounding valley.
“That is precisely the challenge at Durupınar,” the team’s statement explains, “separating layers, structures and discontinuities in difficult conditions and building a 3-D picture of what lies underneath.”
Earlier investigations, including a 2019 ground-penetrating radar survey, reportedly identified several unusual subsurface features within the formation. These included voids, linear and angular features, and patterns that investigators interpreted as “possible corridors and chamber-like spaces.”
Unlike the equipment used in that earlier survey, the team said BakhtarRadar was deployed to “interrogate those same targets with a fundamentally different radar approach.” According to the researchers, the system also allowed them to examine the “deeper geological framework beneath the site” and attempt to trace the bedrock surface below and around the formation.
After completing scans across the Durupınar Formation, the team reported several preliminary observations from the data analyzed so far. Most notably, the researchers said the scans “do not show the formation as a simple, homogeneous mass of rock.”
Instead, Bakhtar and Jones reported what they described as “strong subsurface anomalies and layering” beneath the boat-shaped formation. They also said their analysis of the deeper data processed to date revealed “no clear boundary” beneath the formation. According to the team, this was unexpected because “the radar is looking well below where a shallow rock core would be expected to appear.”
The researchers also highlighted a subsurface anomaly extending approximately 250 feet through the central portion of the formation, which they have interpreted as resembling a “tunnel or hallway.” However, the feature has not been physically excavated or otherwise confirmed to represent an artificial structure.
The team cautioned that these observations were preliminary, and “remain subject to full processing and interpretation.” However, they also claim that their new findings “strike directly at the geological objection that has been raised against the site for years,” which argues that the Durupınar formation “is nothing more than a natural pile of rock or mud draped over shallow bedrock.”
“We are not trying to end this debate with a press release,” Jones said. “We believe this is Noah’s Ark, but the way to demonstrate that is to keep testing it.”
For now, though, all the team has presented is the press release Jones mentions—none of the findings have been detailed in a formal study or undergone peer review. Additionally, critics have previously raised questions about how some of the team’s geophysical findings have been interpreted, particularly given that some members of the project, like Jones, have already publicly expressed their belief that the formation represents Noah’s Ark, and that others include self-ascribed Christian activists, according to the team’s website.
Even some prominent young-Earth creationists have expressed doubts about the team and its findings in the past. Such critics include Ken Ham, the founder, CEO, and former president of the Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis, who took issue with Noah’s Ark Scans’ founder, Andrew Jones, in a blog post last June.
“By his own admission, Andrew Jones of Noah’s Ark Scans, a committed leader of this latest ‘push’ to promote this site as the remains of Noah’s ark, was convinced of what this site likely was before viewing the results of these geophysical surveys,” Ham wrote on his blog last year, noting that geophysical data discussed by Jones had been “couched in terms of scan features being ‘decks’ as well as a claimed ‘corridor’ or ‘tunnel’ down the middle of the structure.”
“None of these reports objectively assess the raw geophysical data by canvassing other interpretations,” Ham argued.
It is worth noting that the Noah’s Ark Scans team concedes their failure to identify a bedrock boundary in the scan data processed so far, although noting that this “does not by itself prove bedrock is absent.” The group also concedes that radar anomalies alone “do not prove an archaeological origin.” Instead, they said more analysis and research will be needed to settle the argument about the controversial site’s true nature.
“Now we need to finish the processing, choose the best core locations, and put physical samples in the hands of the scientists,” Jones said in the recent press release. “That is where this becomes truly exciting.”
The researchers said that the purpose of the ongoing effort is to find physical evidence that can “withstand scrutiny” and distinguish their interpretation of the site “from a purely natural geological explanation.”
The team says it expects to release a preliminary report “in the coming weeks,” after which its findings “will be integrated with the existing geophysical surveys” to help the team prioritize targeted core-drilling locations and “guide the next phase of the Durupınar investigation.”
Whether the group will produce evidence capable of persuading geologists and archaeologists—let alone critics of the project who themselves believe in the biblical flood—remains to be seen. Until physical evidence conclusively demonstrates otherwise, however, the Durupınar Formation is best described according to the prevailing geological interpretation: as a naturally formed geological feature rather than the remains of an archaeological structure.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the successful test flight of a fully AI-controlled F-16 fighter aircraft that was specifically modified to serve as an anonymous flight testbed. The successful test comes just months after the same AI pilot software platform successfully piloted a one-of-a-kind X-62A VISTA aircraft in an aerial dogfight against an F-16.
DARPA officials said the successful flight of an aircraft category that is still in use for combat operations advances the state-of-the-art technological infrastructure needed to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving aerial environment and will enable rapid, scalable combat AI pilot development across the broader U.S. military forces.
“These groundbreaking flight tests of VENOM-modified F-16s advance the infrastructure needed to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities,” said Brig. Gen. James “Fangs” Valpiani, Ph.D., DARPA program manager.
According to a statement announcing the successful AI-controlled flights, the F-16 used in the tests was specifically converted to an AI testbed under the agency’s joint venture with the U.S. Air Force, the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model (VENOM) program. The specific AI pilot installed in the F-16 is known as the VENOM Autonomy Kit, or VAK.
DARPA said VAK utilizes a “novel interface with the aircraft’s flight controls and mission systems.” This component allows an on-board human pilot to toggle between their traditional control systems and VAK “with the flip of a switch,” ensuring pilot safety during the testing phase where a human is still in the loop.
Valpiani said that the VENOM team installed the AI-controlled VAK interface, which successfully automated the F-16’s sensors and flight controls “without changing the jet’s core software.”
“This enables an efficient pipeline for developing dominant AI for aerial combat, allowing us to rapidly innovate for the warfighter,” the program manager explained.
When discussing the significance of the successful AI-controlled test flights, Valpiani once again highlighted the “emerging threat environment” in relation to aerial combat, including its increasing complexity.
“AI has tremendous potential to help humans manage this complexity in beyond-visual-range combat, but many hard questions remain concerning the performance and trustworthiness of combat AI in the extreme fog and friction of modern warfare,” explained the project leader, who was due to conclude his tenure as a DARPA program manager in the weeks after the announcement. “The AIR program aims to apply cutting-edge combat agents to operationally relevant scenarios to address these questions and field war-deterring, war-winning capabilities to our warfighters.”
Incoming program manager, Lt. Col. Patrick “Dice” Highland, Ph.D., highlighted the milestone’s role in “advancing our nation’s combat autonomy,” while also offering an eye toward the program’s future.
“We now have the opportunity to create dominant autonomy for beyond-visual-range, multi-ship combat,” Lt. Col Highland said. “These flights give us an early glimpse of how AI agents may begin actively transforming air warfare.”
Following the successful AI-piloted F-16 tests, the specially designed VENOM aircraft will join DARPA as it moves the entire venture under the umbrella of the agency’s Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program. According to the agency, this new program will use the aircraft in the VENOM fleet to “test multiple AI agents in live-flight scenarios.” If successful, DARPA said the program will “pave the way for human pilots to seamlessly command and orchestrate teams of autonomous, uncrewed aircraft.”
Current deputy program manager Terry Wilson, Ph.D., who will remain with the program, highlighted AIR’s longer-term goals of future joint force operations, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft programs. DARPA said that these efforts will focus on improving the speed and predictive ability of AI model development and “scale in-flight testing to multi-ship operations with increased complexity to unlock novel and robust AI-driven autonomy.”
“I share Gen. Valpiani’s deep appreciation for the incredible dedication of our DARPA and industry teammates, joint engineers, the System Program Office, Eglin’s test and maintenance crews, and the entire AIR and VENOM ecosystem which has made this milestone possible,” said Wilson. “I look forward to unleashing the VENOM platform and moving these capabilities out of simulation and into the sky.”
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org
A massive wildfire that scorched the Nevada desert near the U.S. Air Force’s classified Area 51 facility over the weekend has now exceeded 2,000 acres.
The fire, which began on Friday, continued spreading through Lincoln County, Nevada, according to officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), one of the agencies working to control the blaze.
“This is a restricted area, closed to the public, always, regardless of fire activity,” BLM officials said in a statement, adding that there are presently no additional closures in effect in the area.
Dubbed the Quail Springs fire, crews continued battling against heavy smoke and flames within the Nevada Test and Training Range throughout the weekend.
One of two military training areas located within the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada, the classified site is home to a simulated Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) and features close to 1,200 targets and other military assets frequently used in training operations.
With its storied history involving the development and testing of some of America’s most secretive aircraft, Area 51 has long remained an item of public fascination. Presently, there is no indication that the fire could impact operations at the facility.
Additionally, while BLM officials say there are no residences or other structures currently being threatened, the fire reportedly still has zero containment, according to information available on the Nevada Wildfire Information Dashboard.
“Warm, dry weather with afternoon breezes is expected through Tuesday,” read a portion of a statement that appeared on the BLM website. “Fire activity is expected to increase during the afternoon burning period before moderating overnight as temperatures cool and humidity recovers.”
Presently, the BLM says there are no significant weather changes expected, although some isolated thunderstorms are possible in the area over the next several days. While the presence of moisture would seemingly be hoped for under such conditions, BLM officials said that such storms could also introduce “potentially gusty and erratic winds,” which may “contribute to fire spread.”
Lightning associated with such isolated storms is often a key trigger for such fires during the otherwise arid summer months. Presently, BLM officials believe a lightning strike had likely triggered this weekend’s fire, as well.
“The fire will continue to be monitored closely,” the BLM statement read.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center will oversee development, integration and sustainment of equipment used to access the military’s encrypted GPS signal
The post Air Force takes over troubled military GPS receiver program appeared first on SpaceNews.
In a University of Kentucky laboratory, three small spacecraft stand-ins slid across low-friction air tracks, nudging and pulling one another without thrusters, propellant, or physical contact.
Instead, they used carefully timed magnetic fields, a technique that could one day help future satellite swarms hold precise formations in space without constantly burning fuel.
The NASA and Air Force-backed study, set to be published in the September 2026 edition of Aerospace Science and Technology, marks a step toward what researchers call electromagnetic formation flying, a proposed method for controlling the relative positions of satellites using onboard coils rather than conventional propellant-based thrusters.
In the study, researchers demonstrated a decentralized, three-satellite control system that used alternating magnetic field forces to maintain formation with centimeter-level precision, offering a possible pathway for future space telescopes, interferometers, gravity-wave detectors, and other distributed spacecraft missions.
“Spacecraft formation flying can advance a variety of space technologies such as distributed-aperture telescopes, gravity-wave detectors, and interferometers,” researchers write. “One challenge for spacecraft formation flying is that traditional propellant thrusters eventually deplete, and they can contaminate sensitive spacecraft components.”
The study, authored by scientists from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, focuses on a longstanding problem in spacecraft engineering.
Many future missions may not rely on a single large spacecraft, but instead on groups of smaller satellites flying in carefully arranged formations. If those satellites can maintain their spacing and orientation with extreme precision, they could function together like a much larger scientific instrument.
For example, a distributed-aperture telescope could use multiple spacecraft separated by carefully controlled distances to achieve observing capabilities that might be difficult or impossible with a single monolithic telescope.
Similar formation-flying concepts have been proposed for space-based interferometers and additional missions in which the relative positions of spacecraft are central to mission performance.
However, keeping multiple satellites in formation is not easy. Standard spacecraft rely on thrusters, which consume limited propellant. Over time, that fuel runs out, limiting mission duration and maneuverability. Thruster plumes can also contaminate sensitive instruments, a concern on spacecraft carrying delicate optical, scientific, or electromagnetic sensors.
However, electromagnetic formation flying, or EMFF, offers a different possibility. Each spacecraft carries electromagnetic coils. When electric current flows through those coils, they create magnetic fields. Those fields interact with magnetic fields created by nearby spacecraft, producing attractive or repulsive forces that can alter the satellites’ positions relative to one another.
Put simply, the satellites can push or pull on each other using magnetism.
The idea is not entirely new. Previous work has explored electromagnetic formation flying between two spacecraft, including experiments using direct-current-driven coils.
The problem becomes much harder when the formation includes three or more satellites. In that case, every satellite’s magnetic field can interact with the others, creating a web of coupled forces that becomes increasingly difficult to control as the formation grows.
The new study approaches that problem using alternating magnetic field forces, or AMFF. Rather than driving the coils with steady direct current, the researchers use sinusoidal currents at specific frequencies.
The key insight is that two satellites generate a nonzero time-averaged interaction force only when their magnetic moments alternate at the same frequency. If they do not share a frequency, the average force between them is negligible.
That frequency-matching approach effectively allows the system to pair satellites electromagnetically. One pair can interact at one frequency, while another pair interacts at a different frequency.
By adjusting the amplitude of each sinusoidal signal, the satellites can control the strength of the force between each pair without requiring a centralized controller to solve the entire formation’s motion at once.
“Only pairs with a common frequency can generate a nonzero time-averaged intersatellite force, and that force is determined solely by the amplitudes at the common frequency,” researchers write. “The method in this paper is decentralized, which means that each satellite has access to measurements of its position and velocity relative to only its local neighbor satellites.”
Centralized control can work in smaller systems, but it can turn computationally clumsy as satellite formations grow. A scalable system would need each spacecraft to make local decisions based on nearby neighbors, rather than requiring a single controller to calculate every force across the entire formation.
To test the idea, the researchers built a ground-based experimental platform using three custom electromagnetic actuation system units placed on linear air tracks.
The air tracks allowed the units to move with low friction, simulating one-dimensional relative motion between satellites. Each unit included an electromagnetic coil, batteries, power electronics, an Arduino Due microcontroller, wireless communication hardware, and laser range-finding sensors for measuring relative position.
In the three-satellite setup, the center unit was driven by a sum of two sinusoidal currents, while each outer unit was driven by one of those frequencies. This allowed the center unit to interact independently with each outer unit, demonstrating the central premise of frequency-multiplexed magnetic control.
In closed-loop experiments, the three-satellite system achieved formation in less than 30 seconds. The maximum steady-state formation error was less than plus or minus 0.01 meters, or about 0.4 inches. The mean steady-state formation error was less than plus or minus 0.001 meters, or about 0.04 inches.
Those numbers demonstrate that the method did more than produce a magnetic tug in a lab. It allowed multiple units to settle into a desired formation using local feedback and alternating magnetic fields, while avoiding the coupling problem that has limited electromagnetic control for larger formations.
The researchers also compared the experimental results with computer simulations. While the simulations generally matched the observed behavior, the team noted some differences caused by real-world hardware factors, including sensor interference, current saturation, possible misalignment, airflow disturbances along the air tracks, and unmodeled magnetic effects.
Those caveats are important. This was not a spaceflight demonstration, and the system was tested only in one dimension. Real spacecraft would operate in a far more complex environment, where microgravity, radiation, extreme temperature swings, atmospheric drag in low Earth orbit, gravitational forces, Earth’s magnetic field, and equipment restrictions would all matter.
Researchers also note that traditional thrusters may still be needed for orbit maintenance, orbit transfers, or controlling the overall center of mass of a satellite formation.
In essence, this is not a replacement for all spacecraft propulsion. It is better understood as a possible propellantless method for controlling the relative positions of satellites once they are already in orbit and operating as part of a formation.
Still, that limitation does not diminish the possible impact. If electromagnetic formation flying can be scaled and adapted for real spacecraft, it could reduce propellant demands for future distributed missions. That could extend mission lifetimes, reduce contamination hazards to sensitive instruments, and enable spacecraft formations more flexible than today’s architectures.
The research was supported in part by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
The funding mix reflects the dual scientific and strategic interests in the work. NASA has clear reasons to explore precise formation flying for future space observatories and scientific missions. The Air Force, meanwhile, has an obvious interest in satellite coordination, maneuverability, and resilient distributed space systems.
The study’s most intriguing contribution may be its demonstration that magnetic-field-based satellite control can be both decentralized and scalable.
Rather than treating a multi-satellite formation in a single complicated system that must be controlled from the top down, AMFF allows each satellite to manage interactions with its neighbors using assigned frequencies. That could become increasingly valuable as space missions move toward constellations, swarms, and distributed architectures.
Researchers caution that additional work will be needed to move beyond one-dimensional air-track experiments and toward three-dimensional testing, more realistic sensing and control hardware, and, eventually, on-orbit validation.
Additional coils would be needed for three-dimensional position control, and relative attitude control could require additional actuation frequencies for each interacting satellite pair.
Nevertheless, the laboratory results show that the underlying concept works in a three-body system, which is exactly where the hard part begins.
Two satellites can pull or push on each other relatively easily. Three satellites introduce the coupling problem that makes electromagnetic formation flying difficult. By demonstrating three-satellite control with alternating magnetic fields, the study delivers experimental evidence that the frequency-based solution can work.
For forthcoming space missions, that could be a meaningful step. The next generation of telescopes and orbital instruments may not always be built as single enormous spacecraft. They may be assembled virtually, with multiple satellites flying together as one coordinated machine.
If so, keeping those satellites precisely arranged without wasting propellant could become one of the enabling technologies of future astronomy, Earth observation, and national security space systems.
“This article presented a 3-satellite experimental demonstration of decentralized EMFF using AMFF,” researchers conclude. “The settling time and steady-state formation error achieved in these experiments demonstrate that this approach is most likely capable of meeting requirements for satellite constellation reconfiguration and maintenance, thereby addressing the need for propellant-free formation flying.”
Tim McMillan is a retired law enforcement executive, investigative reporter and co-founder of The Debrief. His writing typically focuses on defense, national security, the Intelligence Community and topics related to psychology. You can follow Tim on Twitter: @LtTimMcMillan. Tim can be reached by email: tim@thedebrief.org or through encrypted email: LtTimMcMillan@protonmail.com
Days after successfully flying its Quarterhorse unmanned aircraft at supersonic speeds, an industry-first defense aviation company, Hermeus, has received the largest-ever contract awarded by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to demonstrate high-Mach flight combined with high-Mach payload release.
The new $ 159 million award, which increases the original contract to a total of $219 million, will allow Hermeus’ engineers to expand on previous high-Mach test flight milestones in direct partnership with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, with the goal of providing the American warfighter with the most advanced arsenal capable of delivering munitions and payloads around the world at record-setting speeds.
“By delivering flight-ready aircraft and demonstrating payload release at speed, we will prove this technology can create a decisive military advantage on a timeline that matters,” explained Hermeus CEO and co-founder, AJ Piplica. “Our focus is on providing the Air Force and Navy with the validated data they need to transition these platforms into the future force.”
When announcing the new DIU award, Hermeus executives noted that the program will include a series of “intensive flight tests.” The first is expected later this year, while the final flights are expected sometime in 2027.
Although few specifics were provided, the company said the flights will “prove the aircraft can maintain high speeds and expand its performance limits” while also demonstrating the successful carry and release of payloads at high velocity. The company also noted that all flight data gathered during the development and testing phases “will directly inform service experimentation and future acquisition decisions.”
Although the U.S. Military has several aircraft capable of exceeding the speed of sound, and several more hypersonic (exceeding five times the speed of sound) aircraft and missile prototypes, delivering payloads from high-Mach aircraft has remained a challenge. However, some military experts argue that the U.S. would benefit greatly from the capability.
When discussing the need for high-speed payload release, DIU Military Deputy Major General Joe “Solo” Kunkel said that the largest problems the military is facing in the future are “generally around time and distance,” and the associated challenges with getting to distant locations “in a timeframe that matters.”
“I care about the warfighting capability, providing advantage to our partners and us in the fight, and making sure that we can walk into every fight with swagger,” General Kunkel said, adding that mass producing the technology developed by Hermeus could move it from a test platform to a “game-changing warfighting capability.”
“I think we found a significant number of use cases where it can be used as a weapon,” the General added.
When discussing the company’s approach that convinced the DIU to offer its largest award in the organization’s history, including what they describe as “reclaiming the lost art of rapid iterative prototyping to build the fastest aircraft in the world today,” Hermeus noted that directly partnering with the USAF and USN allows their engineers to align tests with future mission needs and shorten the path from testing to deployment.
“By prioritizing relentless hardware iteration, we deliver high-speed systems at the pace of the modern battlefield,” the company’s statement explained. “We work with the Department of War to provide the high-speed capabilities our nation and its allies need to maintain a durable, asymmetric advantage.”
When discussing the significance of the upcoming tests and the overall need for high-Mach flight payload deployment, including the benefit of the performance data, the company CEO heralded the DIU’s award, noting that the financing will help them move their successful demonstrations into real-world high-Mach platforms.
“This program is about moving high-Mach capability out of the lab and into an operationally relevant environment,” Piplica said.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.
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