Pentagon Seeks Information on a Possible Constellation of Satellites Around the Moon
A procurement notice points to lunar-distance military space ambitions, but no satellite count or mission has been set out yet.
The US military has put out a Request for Information on a federal procurement site, hinting that it may build a large constellation of satellites around the Moon. The notice gives no satellite count and does not say what the mission would be. It follows comments from Space Force acquisitions chief Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy that the service is serious about reaching lunar distances, a shift he tied to a December executive order on space policy. For developers and companies in the space sector, this points to future demand for cislunar hardware, though the plans remain undefined.
Why it matters
For now the shift is one of intent rather than a funded programme. The military's most distant satellites sit in geostationary orbit, roughly 22,000 miles above the equator, so a cislunar constellation would mark a major step outward. Purdy tied the change in thinking to a December executive order, which covers threats from low-Earth orbit out to cislunar space. Readers should watch whether the request for information turns into concrete requirements and budgets, since that will show how far the plans actually go.
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