--- title: "Space Force Created an “Orbital Warfare” Unit, and It Has Its Own Spaceship" description: "Military.com reports that the newest U.S. military branch, established in 2019, has now created a unit dedicated to \"orbital warfare.\"" date: "2020-11-06" modified: "2020-11-06" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-force-orbital-warfare" categories: - "Space" - "Space Force" tags: - "military" - "orbit" - "space force" - "the digest" --- # Space Force Created an “Orbital Warfare” Unit, and It Has Its Own Spaceship ![Military.com reports that the newest U.S. military branch, established in 2019, has now created a unit dedicated to "orbital warfare."]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Orbital Combat Space Force is slowly spinning up. *Military.com* [reports that]() the newest U.S. military branch, established in late 2019, has now created a unit dedicated to "orbital warfare" — and while it's by no means ready for dogfights in the vacuum of space, the unit has even been assigned an experimental spaceship. ## X-37B It's not exactly a TIE fighter or X-Wing from the "Star Wars" franchise, but [*The Drive* reported last week]() that the Space Force is now in charge of the experimental X-37B spacecraft. The X-37B, previously under the control of the Air Force, is a secretive uncrewed spaceplane that's been flying space missions since 2010. There's even been [speculation]() that it may have already carried or even tested weapon systems into orbit. ## Pew Pew It'll most likely be a long time before we see anything approaching sci-fi space combat — and even then, they'll probably be [extremely slow paced](). But the U.S. military's push to use orbit as a warfighting domain — alongside other world powers including [India](), [Russia](), and [France]() — is both an inexorable slog toward that reality and an ominous repudiation of the tradition of space as a peaceful scientific zone. **READ MORE:** [The Space Force Is Now in Charge of the Secret X-37B Space Plane]() \[*Military.com*\] **More on Space Force:** [*NASA Astronaut to Be Sworn Into Space Force in Ceremony Aboard Space Station*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()