ORLANDO, Fla. — The Space Force expects its newest space observation satellites, Silent Barker, to be ready for initial operations early next year, according to the head of U.S. Space Command.
Gen. Stephen Whiting told reporters Wednesday that the spacecraft, which launched in September 2023, has been undergoing a series of on-orbit tests for the last year. The service hasn’t confirmed how many spacecraft it launched in the first mission but has said there were at least two.
“Once they’re done with that test and check-out, then that data will start to flow into our operational databases,” Whiting said during a roundtable at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Whiting suggested the yearlong testing process is “not atypical” for a new mission like Silent Barker, adding that future satellites in the constellation should integrate much faster. The Space Force expects the satellites to be fully operational by 2026.
The Space Force developed and launched Silent Barker jointly with the National Reconnaissance Office. The spacecraft’s mission is largely classified, but the service has said its role is to track objects — and potentially nefarious activities — in geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles above Earth.
The agencies announced in December 2017 that they would partner to develop Silent Barker as a replacement for the older Space-Based Space Surveillance System satellites, which are set to reach the end of their lifespan in 2028. The team put an acquisition plan in place in 2020 and took about three years to build the satellites and prepare for launch.
Keeping tabs on space objects and behaviors is a growing priority for Space Command and the Space Force as China and Russia show signs of aggression in the domain. Most of the service’s space observation systems are based on the ground. While these radars and telescopes can catalog larger, basketball-sized objects, they can’t provide the visibility and detail the Space Force and NRO hope to get through Silent Barker.
Whiting noted the new satellites are just one of several space domain awareness capabilities that will soon be fielded. The Space Force’s Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, or DARC, which Northrop Grumman is building, will spot objects in geosynchronous orbit for the U.S. and its allies. The service plans to buy three DARC radars located in the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom.
The Space Force is also set to wrap up testing and acceptance of the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System in 2025, which will ingest space domain awareness data to allow operators to detect and counter threats in space.
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
