Is the US preparing to build a military space station?

The Pentagon has signed a contract with an American startup specializing in developing space station modules .

This partnership is intended to potentially test Pentagon technologies in the context of increasingly tactical and reactive space applications. This is considered the first step towards the development of a military station ?

The announcement of this research contract was published by the startup Gravitic, founded in 2021.

They are developing a prototype module called StarMax, 7.6 meters in diameter and ⁴⁰⁰ cubic meters in volume - equivalent to 40% of the total volume of the current International Space Station (ISS).

The space station module the US Department of Defense is about to test is said to be the first step towards the development of a military station (Illustration: Futura Science).

Ability to respond faster in space

The U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon's space arm, is eagerly looking for any technology that will allow it to respond more quickly in its space operations.

The Pentagon wants to be able to react quickly in the event of a threat in space, such as the appearance of enemy missiles or satellites on its satellites.

Russia and China are often identified as threats to US military satellites, with spy satellites, patrol satellites or even zombie satellites.

Last year, the Pentagon asked an American company called Victus Nox to conduct a highly responsive mission test and the results were successful.

Military space stations certainly receive special attention from the US Space Force.

In general, a station module can be used for pretty much anything - especially tactical matters - including quicker response on Earth.

Could we one day see a US military space station in orbit?

In fact, the armed forces are increasingly looking to orbit to conduct microgravity experiments that would not be possible on Earth.

Many countries, even though they are not strongly developed in the field of space, have sent their military astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) to perform tests, through cooperation with space superpowers. stand like America.