The American Space Force has launched its first national security mission. On Thursday, an AEHF satellite from the armaments and technology group Lockheed Martin launched from the spaceport Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida onboard an Atlas V551 launch vehicle. It is the sixth and last of the AEHF satellites; the remaining five had been launched between 2010 and 2019.
According to Lockheed Martin, the satellite constellation provides worldwide and secure communication for command and combat troops on the ground, at sea and in the air. Even in the event of a nuclear war, this would ensure communication for the army. The manufacturer referred to encryption, a low risk of interception and detection, and resistance to jammers.
The US government announced the creation of the new space force in December. President Donald Trump described space as a “new theater of war in which a lot will happen””.
