Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Space Force is funding Gravitics ($60M via SpaceWERX) to prototype an “orbital carrier”—a maneuverable platform pre-positioned in orbit that can hold and rapidly deploy multiple spacecraft.
-The aim is fast, flexible responses to threats and “dogfighting in space,” reducing reliance on slow, Earth-launch timelines.
X-37B. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission 5 successfully landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility Oct. 27, 2019. The X-37B OTV is an experimental test program to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Air Force.
-Potential missions span defensive protection, offensive counter-space, surveillance, and rapid reconstitution.
-But costs, multi-launch on-orbit assembly, command infrastructure, and propulsion—possibly nuclear-thermal for big orbital changes—are daunting.
-With China and Russia fielding anti-satellite tools, advocates call it a future hedge; skeptics note the concept’s complexity and likely decades-long path before it’s truly operational.
What Is The Space Force’s “Orbital Aircraft Carrier,” And Why Do They Want It?
With tensions in the world rising between the US, Russia, and China, the domain of space is becoming an increasingly hot spot. China is developing an advanced satellite power system capable of supporting high-energy particle beams and other directed-energy weapons.
The idea behind this is that, during a time of war, China could disable or destroy enemy satellites and missiles through immense kinetic and thermal energy.
However, the US is moving in a different direction for space.
The US Space Force is planning to build and launch the first-ever ‘orbital carrier’ into space, acting like an aircraft carrier and offering a new way to launch spacecraft and satellites into orbit.
This orbital carrier is depicted as a platform in Earth orbit that can hold multiple spacecraft and deploy them as needed.
Space Carriers Provide Rapid Response
This “space-based carrier” is designed to provide a rapid response capability for deploying and maneuvering satellites in orbit, potentially for both offensive and defensive purposes.
The Seattle-based company Gravitics is developing the Orbital Carrier under a $60 million contract with the Space Force’s Space Werx.
The Orbital Carrier is designed to carry “multiple maneuverable space vehicles that can deliver a rapid response to address threats on orbit,” Gravitics wrote in a statement.
The space carrier will act as the space-based equivalent of an aircraft carrier, ready to rapidly deploy satellites in response to any threats to US spacecraft in orbit.
SpaceX Starship Launch. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“This carrier will provide the US Space Force with unprecedented flexibility and speed for in-space operations, significantly enhancing the nation’s space defence posture.”
In the statement, Gravitics CEO Colin Doughan said the Orbital Carrier concept is a “critical initiative” for the U.S. Space Force’s ability to position spacecraft quickly and defend assets in orbit.
“The Orbital Carrier is a game-changer, acting as a pre-positioned launch pad in space. It bypasses traditional launch constraints, enabling space vehicle operators to rapidly select a deployment orbit on demand.”
How does the Orbital carrier fit into our space defenses?
Purpose Of the Orbital Carrier
The Orbital Carrier will serve as a pre-positioned launch pad in space, allowing the Space Force to quickly deploy satellites and other spacecraft for various missions, including responding to threats or conducting surveillance.
“Space superiority is our prime imperative…and we do not yet have the service we need,” Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman said at the AFA Warfare Symposium in March.
Design Of The Carrier
The Orbital Carrier is envisioned as a large, maneuverable spacecraft capable of carrying and deploying multiple smaller satellites and spacecraft.
In recent years, the US Space Force has been pushing for the development of more responsive spacecraft operations. This means being able to quickly reposition satellites in orbit or launch spacecraft on accelerated timelines.
Rapid Deployment Cuts Reaction Time
It will enable the Space Force to rapidly deploy satellites in response to evolving threats or operational needs.
Pre-positioning will enable the Space Force to have a ready-to-deploy satellite force in orbit, rather than relying solely on ground-based launches.
Deploying satellites or other spacecraft is a time-consuming and expensive process. However, having an orbital carrier pre-positioned in space would cut down the response time for the US to just hours when the situation calls for it.
The space carrier platform will provide a faster and more agile response to national security threats by eliminating the need for traditional rocket launches. The concept of a space-based carrier represents a significant strategic advantage for the military.
Space Carrier Has Flexibility As a Defensive or Offensive Weapon
The Orbital Carrier is designed to enhance the Space Force’s ability to respond to a wide range of space scenarios.
China and Russia may be conducting threatening maneuvers, according to General Michael Guetlein in the Space Force. He called it “dogfighting in space” at a Congressional hearing in March.
Dr. Brent Eastwood wrote, Space Force is practicing maneuvers that can also threaten enemy satellites. “Space Force has created units dedicated exclusively to targeting adversary satellites, has conducted ‘live fire’ jamming exercises against simulated adversary spacecraft and has trained units in ‘simulated on-orbit combat.’”
Typically, counter-space operations involve radio frequency jamming, cyberattacks, or using lasers to blind or ‘dazzle’ sensors on spy satellites.
The Costs Of a Space Carrier Platform Will Be Very High
The initial $60 million will be merely an ante into a very expensive pot. It will probably not be possible to launch an entire space carrier intact and pre-assembled.
Using a rocket like SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is expensive. A structure weighing millions of kilograms would result in astronomical launch costs, easily reaching billions of dollars before a single component is even assembled.
This would take several dedicated launches. It would likely need to be assembled in space, similar to the International Space Station, and then the payload carrier spacecraft would have to be delivered in follow-on missions bit by bit.
This space station or orbital carrier will require a ground control system to ensure the spacecraft remains in orbit and that commands can be communicated immediately.
The Carrier May Require Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP)
For an orbital aircraft carrier to be effective, it must be able to change its orbit if it is under attack, reposition itself for a strategic advantage, or rendezvous with another spacecraft.
NTP uses a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant, such as hydrogen, to extremely high temperatures. This superheated gas is then expelled through a nozzle to create thrust, providing a more efficient and faster propulsion method than chemical rockets.
NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are actively developing NTP for future Mars missions.
While more efficient than chemical rockets, an NTP engine would still require large amounts of propellant and introduce the complexities of operating a nuclear reactor in a crewed, military platform.
The area of space in low-Earth orbit has always been perceived as a haven. No longer. China and Russia are determined, especially China, to turn space into another war domain.
The orbital carrier may one day become a vital defense against protecting our space satellites and countering our adversaries.
The US Space Force’s collaboration with Gravitics to develop an orbital aircraft carrier is a significant step in securing American dominance and enhancing satellite deployment capabilities in the face of potential global conflicts in space.
However, the Space Force orbital ‘aircraft carrier‘ is not going to be a project that we see in the next several decades. It is a project that definitely should be developed for our future security.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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