KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The U.S. Space Force’s X-37B lifted off Aug. 21 on its eighth mission, a launch reflecting both the service’s drive to demonstrate new space technologies as well as the investigators keeping it secure.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations’ Office of Special Projects provided that layer of protection, officials said, which Space Systems Command confirmed was a success.
“From pre-launch preparation to the moment of liftoff, PJ Det. 11 worked in step with PJ Det. 10 and the mission team,” Special Agent Lee Russ, executive director AFOSI PJ. “That integration enables us to safeguard technologies that will define the future of U.S. space capabilities.”
Designated OTV-8, the latest X-37B launch comes five and a half months after the previous mission landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, which demonstrated the program’s ability to rapidly launch and recover its systems across multiple sites.
On its previous 434-day mission, X-37B executed the first of its kind aerobraking maneuver, using Earth’s atmosphere itself to adjust its orbit and save fuel.
“The technologies being tested today will shape how the Department of the Air Force (DAF) operates in space tomorrow,” Russ said. “AFOSI PJ’s mission makes sure those capabilities are developed in an environment free from hostile threats or compromise.”
As with past flights, the latest mission is carrying experimental technologies, this time including advanced laser communications and the highest performing quantum inertial sensor to fly in space that could help spacecraft navigate without GPS, officials said.
It will also demonstrate high-bandwidth laser communications for faster, more secure data transfer in orbit, on behalf of partners like the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Unit.
“These payloads represent the future of national security architectures in space,” said Special Agent Adam Lohman, AFOSI PJ Det. 11 Program Security Officer division chief, who worked alongside senior military and industry leaders to ensure the safety of the mission. “As a result, these technologies can attract attention from malign actors.
“We’re here to protect and manage a spectrum of risks, from physical to cyber security, so the mission team can focus on getting results in orbit,” he added.
That approach is rooted in teamwork and integration across the mission, said Special Agent Ben Arnold, AFOSI PJ Det. 11 investigator.
“Collaboration, quick coordination and careful planning all characterize AFOSI PJ’s approach,” Arnold said. “With such high-level technologies and a complex threat environment, integration with mission experts ensures fortitude for the mission and security for the people who support it.”
That foundation allows the program’s broader counterintelligence mission to move forward with confidence.
“The [DAF] and Department of Defense are working on cutting edge technologies and capabilities designed to further our resilience in space,” said Special Agent Cassie Hettmansperger, AFOSI PJ Det. 11 program security officer. “With a mission focused on our future in space. It is invigorating to be a part of AFOSI practicing counterintelligence to ensure physical security, protected networks and threat mitigation writ large."