The US Space Force, established in 2019 under President Trump, expressed concern that the regularity of these sightings is impeding its core mission of threat identification.
The US Space Force, the Pentagon’s branch responsible for safeguarding America from space threats, has disclosed the detection of thousands of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in Earth’s orbit
While some sightings may be attributed to space debris and natural debris like meteoroids, the military branch is wary of potential threats posed by foreign adversaries deploying spy satellites and covert orbital platforms. Of particular concern is the risk of threatening spacecraft concealed in the vast unmonitored space between Earth and the moon, referred to as ‘cislunar’ orbit. The US Space Force emphasizes the need to distinguish between grave ‘threats’ and mere ‘hazards’ such as space junk in its latest report. The document also delves into a new category of ‘hazards and threats’ characterized by abnormal observables and patterns of life that cannot be correlated to any owner or origin.
While the report does not clarify the overlap between established UFO techno-signatures and these abnormal observables, it raises questions about the meaning of ‘patterns of life’ in the context of orbital unknowns. The US Space Force’s mission, outlined in the document titled ‘Space Doctrine Publication 3-100, Space Domain Awareness,’ aims to monitor a vast orbital range from low earth orbit to the moon.
The branch faces challenges in identifying and tracking the increasing number of UFOs and known objects in orbit, with over 25,000 objects reported according to NASA data
In light of these challenges, the US Space Force seeks a $30 billion budget from Congress for 2024, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between spacecraft anomalies and supporting its other troop-related tasks. The branch’s concern also extends to the growing threat of foreign spy satellites in the cislunar orbit.
Plans for the Oracle spacecraft, a security and monitoring probe, aim to address these challenges by launching in 2026 to an area of gravitational stability between Earth and the Moon. As the US Space Force navigates this uncharted territory, it seeks additional funding to develop tools and techniques for defending US interests in outer space.