The U.S. military is planning to expand its operational reach into space, with the aim of patrolling the area around the Moon one day.
Once considered an inviolable realm, space is now becoming a “playground” for various companies from different countries, cluttering the skies with thousands of satellite clusters. In this new, almost lawless frontier, there is a need for a “sheriff” to oversee everything, and the United States has just announced plans to establish such a “space patrol team.”
This is the Cislunar Highway Patrol System (CHPS), or the Cislunar Space Patrol System (the space between Earth and the Moon).
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) recently released a video outlining the plan for the CHPS space patrol team. AFRL states that CHPS will be a satellite system used to monitor the movement of satellites and space debris to minimize collisions.
While it may not do much to directly prevent these collisions, it will enhance the ability to track objects and aid in planning preventive measures.
Although the exact definition is still a matter of debate, the term “cislunar” generally refers to space beyond 35,786 km from Earth, meaning beyond geostationary orbit, up to the Moon. CHPS will operate in space from Earth to around the Moon to “ensure the peaceful development of space and help protect the safety of missions,” according to the AFRL video.
CHPS will operate in space from Earth to around the Moon.
The AFRL video highlights the efforts of agencies like NASA to return to the lunar surface and explore other “interplanetary destinations” as part of the initiative to expand the U.S. military’s surveillance capabilities into cislunar space.
The CHPS satellite system still has a long way to go before becoming a reality.
The video further states that CHPS “will pass thousands of commercial and government satellites as it ventures into the rarely accessed space of 438,000 km.”
However, the CHPS satellite system still has a long way to go before it becomes a reality, with AFRL calling for prototype proposals next month, aiming to award production contracts by July.
