Lawrence Livermore Telescope Tracks Satellite in Space Force Responsive-Launch Exercise

A Rocket Lab spacecraft carrying an optical payload developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory tracked another satellite during a U.S. Space Force exercise. The test evaluated how quickly a spacecraft can be launched and put to work inspecting objects in orbit.

The exercise was tied to the Space Force's efforts in space domain awareness and its Victus line of tactically responsive space operations. It was described as a cat-and-mouse test, focused on tracking and maneuvering relative to other satellites in orbit.

The instrument used was a telescope developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, mounted as an optical payload on a Rocket Lab spacecraft. During the exercise, the spacecraft used the payload to track a second satellite. The demonstration centered on the speed with which a spacecraft can be launched and then perform inspection tasks against objects already in orbit.

The exercise falls within the Victus responsive-space effort, part of the Space Force's broader push on space domain awareness. The service is increasingly treating orbit as a contested domain where tracking and maneuvering satellites is a core mission.

The demonstration shows how the Space Force is combining existing assets for space situational awareness, including hardware originally developed by a national laboratory. By borrowing a Lawrence Livermore telescope for orbital tracking, the service applied instrumentation built for other purposes to the task of watching maneuvers in space.

The Victus line of tactically responsive space operations remains the framework under which further responsive-launch and inspection tests are expected to proceed.