30 July 2019

The US Special Operations Command is launching its own nano-satellite spies

Daniel Ilie

Exactly one week after the incident which took place on the morning of June 20, 2019, where Iranian forces shot down, with a surface-to-air missile, an unarmed American surveillance and recon drone near the Strait of Hormuz, global company Rocket Lab, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, announced that it will launch seven small-scale satellites, including two “Prometheus” nano-satellites belonging to the US Special Operations Command – USSOCOM.

Image source: Mediafax

In the meantime, because of the imminent controversy between the two sides on the subject of the exact air space position where the Strait of Hormuz incident took place, and also due to the speed with which events have precipitated, the international community was in a state of emergency, deeply concerned that the situation might degenerate into a massive open conflict.

Back to the subject at hand, the satellites’ launch will be made from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand (the only private in the world used for orbital launches), within the “Make It Rain” mission, with the help of a launch vehicle named Electron. This is in fact a two-step rocket with a height of 18 meters and a weight of 150 kilograms, produced with the help of 3D printer, projected and assembled to be reused in multiple launches, with a never-before-seen frequency. Rocket Lab claims to be the  world leader in small-scale satellite launch activities.

Most probably, this activity is part of the management stages of the “Prometheus CubeSats” project, which is part of an initiative through which USSOCOM aimed to profit from cutting-edge technologies, such as miniature “CubeSats” satellites and fractionated satellite architecture (a satellite constellation), in order to procure, launch, use and control its own spy artificial constellation, thus making a move on collecting military info from outer space.

What are nano-satellite spies and what are they used for?

An artificial satellite is a metallic body with diverse forms (with equipment), launched by people in the interplanetary space with the help of a space rocket, which then revolves around the Earth without needing any type of propulsion.

Spy satellites are the “secret ears and eyes from outer space”, basically artificial surveillance and recon satellites launched in outer space, on the orbit, with the purpose of collecting information, facilitating navigation with the help of global positioning systems and military communications.

These types of information gathering, surveillance and recon (ISR) capabilities can be used, for example, to localize clandestine WMD facilities, to intercept discussions between different terrorist groups, to identify the type and numerical value of a potential enemy’s military objectives and technique and even to guide intelligent munitions in order to neutralize a strategic target.

Spy satellites have been orbiting the Earth beginning with 1960. In his book titled “Intelligence in the Military operations of the XXIst Century,” second edition, revised and completed, Mircea Mocanu writes the following: “… at a strategic level, the maximum IMINT unmanned performance has been reached, of course, in the field of recon satellites. The first spectacular affirmation of this strategic capability was registered during the Cuban crisis, in October 1962, when satellite images proved the placement of Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba. Of course, the result was colossal, namely the avoidance of a third world war, which could have been a nuclear catastrophe”.

According to a classification made by Martin Sweeting, first in 1991 and later modified, from a mass standpoint, nano-satellites are the artificial satellites weighed between 1 and 10 kg. Weighing approximately 2 kg, USSOCOM’s small “CubeSats” satellites, named “Prometheus”, is part of the nano-satellites category.

What are the specifics of the “Prometheus CubeSats” project?

USSOCOM started exploring the potential of the CubeSat space technology, referring to a fleet of small-scale satellites which can work in pair, at the end of 2010, with the purpose of determining whether the requests of special operations forces (SOF) – such as the development of cheap launch vehicles (space rockets), the establishment of communications links which allow transmitting tactical data, or the possibility for the SOF operator to take total control of such satellites – can be accomplished.

Eight secret nano-satellites (CubeSats) were developed within the “Prometheus” project in partnership with the National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Their first space launch took place in November 2013 and, exactly two years after, the Prometheus 1-5 nano-satellite re-entered terrestrial atmosphere, successfully accomplishing its mission after it orbited the Earth all this time.

Apparently, these recon nano-satellites proved that they had the technical capability to transfer audio, video and data files stored on portable electronic devices, stealthily, from long-distance operators to deployable terminals, using communications’ capabilities with reach that can go beyond the horizon line.

A standard CubeSat satellite is basically a miniature satellite which looks like a cube with 10 cm sides; each such nano-satellite weighs only 1.33 kg and is classified as a 1U CubeSat.

All of the eight USSOCOM nano-satellites are of the 1.5U type (10x10x15 cm), are equipped with four solar panels and a retractable helix antenna, cost less than USD100,000 and have lifespans of three to five years.

The USSOCOM’s eight-nano-satellite constellation is a group of satellites flying together on the orbit, which are interconnected through communications links and each carry out a specific role and task, to support the constellation’s mission as a whole. As US Air Forces Major Christian P. Helms suggestively wrote in his bachelor’s thesis, the constellation is akin to an alpha operational detachment formed out 12 SOF operatives, which function as a team where everyone has their own specialized roles and abilities, and all work together to accomplish their mission.

The advantages of ISR space capabilities over those based on aerial platforms

Concerning space rights, the inexistence of a universally agreed judicial regime on the delimitation between air space and outer space favours freedom of movement and access to this space and celestial bodies. If only for this reason, satellite-based ISR capabilities should be preferred to those based on aerial platforms based on flying through the air space.

For example, while the Chicago Convention of 1944 regarding civil international aviation stipulates that each state has complete and exclusive sovereignty in the air space above its territory (including nearby territorial waters), the Space Treaty of 1967 states that the extra-atmospheric space is not subject to any sovereignty claims.

It is clear enough ISR missions in outer space are easier when compared to those carried out in the air space, and incidents such as the one in the Strait of Hormuz, which led to the destruction of an expensive RQ-4 Global Haw American drone, worth more than USD176 million, can be avoided. Moreover, space ISR capabilities have the possibility to provide intelligence images (MINT) in real time, including from above the so-called Anti Access / Area Denial (A2/AD) zones, which limit the freedom of movement and block operative access.

Another advantage of nano-satellite ISR capabilities is the relatively low cost for research, development, purchase, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of systems, as they boast a simple design, using regular technical solutions and electronic components and can be controlled even by SOF operators in the tactical field.

Furthermore, the CubeSats Prometheus nano-satellites do not require dedicated launch vehicles, but instead can be placed on the orbit with the help of any carrier space rocket which has available unloading space and offers these types of services for rent at a convenient price.

Why do American SOF’s need their own spy satellites?

Alongside the reasons previously stated, there is always a competition between the different types of forces for limited resources, and ISR capabilities are no exception. It appears that, in 2015, USSOCOM was already allotted 35% of the orbits containing US ISR capabilities based on aerial platforms.

As there is no reduction foreseen in number of information support requests for the many special operations carried out by American SOF’s throughout the world, ISR space capabilities will offer the Special Operations Command additional options to extend their information gathering means, without affecting other joint operations planned and executed by other types of forces.

Usually, special operations are planned and executed in politically sensible areas. To obtain a competitive advantage, they need to have a deeper and more accurate understanding of both their potential enemies, as well as the operational environment in which the missions will take place.

USSOCOM’s nano-satellite constellation contributes to the SOF’s efforts to ensure an enhanced access to data, video and voice for troops deployed in the mission, both on the ground and tactically, so necessary in the process of planning, leading, executing and assessing special ops.

Fortunately, in the US, the aspiration to have its own space support capabilities with data and information can be easily accomplished as the USSOCOM commander, alongside the necessary resources, also has the same authority and competency to make purchases as the chiefs of other types of forces, in a fast and efficient manner.

Translated by Ionut Preda