The announcement of the research contract was published by the start-upstart-up Gravitics, founded in 2021. The start-up is developing a prototype called StarMaxwith a diameter of 7.6 meters and a volume of 400 m3or 40% of the total volume of the current International Space Station.
Even more responsiveness in space
The US Space Force, the space arm of the Pentagon, is eagerly seeking any technology that will allow it to be more responsive in its space operations. The Pentagon wants to be able to react very quickly in the event of a threat in space, such as the arrival of a missile or an enemy satellite on its satellites.
Video presentation of Gravitics space station projects. © Gravitics
Russia and China are often identified as threats to US military satellites, with spy satellites, patrol satellites, or even a zombie satellite. Last year, the Pentagon ordered a high-responsive mission test from two American companies, called Victus Noxwhich was a success.
A space station for tactical operations?
This is undoubtedly where doordoor the interest of the US Space Force in Gravitics technologies. All in all, a station module can be used for quite a few things, including being even more responsive than on Earth.
Could we one day see an American military space station in orbit? The armed forces are increasingly looking towards orbit to carry out experiments in microgravitymicrogravity cannot be done on Earth, nor within the framework of civil programs such as the International Space Station. The Italian army has already flown an entire crew in suborbitalsuborbital with Virgin GalacticVirgin Galacticand even sent one of his own to spend a few days on the ISS with the Axiom-3 flight.
