---
title: "The US Air Force Launched the Largest Uncrewed Structure in Space"
description: "The Air Force successfully launched the largest satellite into space yet. It will spend the next year learning about dangerous cosmic radiation."
date: "2019-07-25"
modified: "2019-07-25"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/air-force-launched-largest-uncrewed-space"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "satellite"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# The US Air Force Launched the Largest Uncrewed Structure in Space

![The Air Force successfully launched the largest satellite into space yet. It will spend the next year learning about dangerous cosmic radiation.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/air-force-launched-largest-uncrewed-space.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Microsat Systems\</em\>*

## It's Large

The US Air Force just confirmed that earlier this month it successfully deployed an experimental satellite nearly the size of a football field.

The satellite, called the DSX, was the largest passenger on a [June SpaceX launch](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-spacex-difficult-launch>) that brought two dozen satellites into orbit. It's also the largest human-made, uncrewed object to have ever been sent into orbit, [according to *SpaceNews*](<https://spacenews.com/air-force-experimental-satellite-billed-as-the-largest-unmanned-structure-in-space/>).

## Cosmic Hazards

The Air Force plans to use the DSX satellite to figure out how cosmic radiation might affect future spacecraft, *SpaceNews* reports, in a year-long mission that could help engineers build more resilient ships.

"This is a region where Very Low Frequency radio waves strongly interact with electrons that are hazardous to spacecraft," DSX principal investigator James McCollough said, per *SpaceNews*.

**READ MORE:** [Air Force experimental satellite billed as the 'largest unmanned structure in space](<https://spacenews.com/air-force-experimental-satellite-billed-as-the-largest-unmanned-structure-in-space/>)' \[*SpaceNews*\]

**More on the launch:** *[Elon Musk: This Is SpaceX's "Most Difficult Launch" Ever](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-spacex-difficult-launch>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)