--- title: "SpaceX to Launch “Hunter” Satellites for Targeting Rival Spacecraft" description: "The FCC has cleared space combat startup True Anomaly for a test launch of two \"hunter\" satellites, built specifically for space warfare." date: "2023-02-02" modified: "2023-02-02" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hunter-satellites-targeting-rival-spacecraft" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "satellite" - "space war" - "space warfare" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX to Launch “Hunter” Satellites for Targeting Rival Spacecraft ![The FCC has cleared space combat startup True Anomaly for a test launch of two "hunter" satellites, built specifically for space warfare.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Space Warfare The US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) just [filed documents]() detailing plans for the test launch of two private-sector spy satellites, [*Wired* reports](). The satellites, built by space combat startup True Anomaly, are slated for launch onboard a SpaceX rocket in October of this year. Once there, each "Jackal" — as the models are called — will practice engaging in what the company calls "orbital pursuit." In layman's terms, space tag. While this mission won't exactly be the aerial battles of "Star Wars," the tech's makers are clear: these crafts are built for space warfare. "Conflict exists on a continuum that begins with competition," Even "Jolly" Rogers, former US Air Force Major and CEO and co-founder of True Anomaly, told *Wired*, "and ultimately leads into full-scale conflict like what you're seeing in Ukraine." "True Anomaly is revolutionizing space security and sustainability," [reads]() the company's website, "with fully-integrated mission technologies designed to protect the interests of the United States and its Allies." ## Cat and Mouse Though the Jackals aren't equipped with any kind of guns, lasers, or explosives-type weaponry, they do have some functionality beyond simply lurking. Per *Wired*, they're built to assist with rendezvous proximity operations (RPO), or the capability to get close to other satellites and, by "\[training\] a battery of sensors upon them," can glean information about foes' "surveillance and weapons systems, or help intercept communications." RPO crafts, as *Wired* point out, aren't exactly new, and even have a number of practical non-war uses, like hauling objects around in orbit. But investors certainly seem excited about True Anomaly's crafts, considering that the company has raked in [roughly $23 million in funding]() — some of that cash coming from US senator JD Vance's investment fund. ## Chicken or Egg But while Rogers says his company's RPO is designed to adapt to already hostile global — and orbital — politics, some experts wonder if the existence of a product like the Jackal could itself be an escalating factor. "What is different about True Anomaly is the way it seems to be presenting its satellite as more of a pursuit system, than an imaging or an intelligence gathering system," Kaitlyn Johnson, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, told *Wired*. "This does concern me because it could cause unintentional escalation... it might be read by our adversaries as a military-directed company that was starting to pursue this capability." **READ MORE:** [*Enter the Hunter Satellites Preparing for Space War*]() \[*Wired*\] **More on Space warfare:** [*Space Force Official Reportedly Showed Off Sex Toys at Work*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()