87 companies join U.S. Space Command’s third wargame

U.S. Space Command held the third of four wargames with commercial space companies on Sept. 23, this time focused on spacecraft that operate outside the orbits most satellites use today, including very low Earth orbit and the space between Earth and the Moon.

The tabletop exercise, part of a series called APOLLO INSIGHT, brought military planners and industry together to work through several scenarios. Before the event, the command said 217 people from 87 companies had registered, including 24 companies that had not taken part in the first two rounds. The command did not say which companies attended or describe the scenarios in detail.

“For this upcoming exercise we currently have 217 participants registered representing 87 different companies, including 24 new additions since our first and second events,” said Cmdr. Heather Thomas, chief of the command’s commercial integration branch, before the exercise.

The exercise was moderated by retired Brig. Gen. Bruce McClintock, a senior policy researcher at RAND. He said the discussion centered on companies developing what he called non-Keplerian space capabilities. That term describes spacecraft whose paths do not follow the simple, predictable orbits set by gravity alone, for example because they keep firing engines to hold a position or because they move under the pull of both Earth and the Moon.

McClintock said several companies are making progress in very low Earth orbit, which sits below the altitudes where most satellites fly, and in cislunar space, the region between Earth and the Moon.

“The problem sets examined during APOLLO INSIGHT could be tested through combined maneuvers to further develop TTPs across the space enterprise,” said retired Brig. Gen. Bruce McClintock, referring to tactics, techniques and procedures.

U.S. Space Command, which plans and runs U.S. military operations in space, launched the series this year to bring commercial companies into its planning. The first exercise, held March 23 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, focused on the threat of weapons of mass destruction in space. The second, on June 24, also in Colorado Springs, dealt with maneuver warfare in space.

Gen. Stephen Whiting, the command’s commander, said in an Aug. 30 interview with Fed Gov Today that the military cannot handle space operations on its own.

“The U.S. commercial space industry is a massive advantage for our nation, and we’ve got to be able to leverage their cost curves and their innovation points,” said Gen. Stephen Whiting.

Whiting also said the command needs to work more closely with allies and commercial firms on tracking objects in space, and to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to close gaps in surveillance.

The fourth and final exercise of the year is scheduled for Dec. 16 at the Aerospace Corporation, which hosted each of the earlier events. Thomas said the command plans to keep running commercial integration exercises into 2027.