The US has formed closer US space links after the secretary of state for defence, Penny Mordaunt , announced it will become the first international partner of Operation Olympic Defender . Air Vice-Marshal ‘Rocky’ Rochelle, chief of staff of the Royal Air Force, said: “If a satellite in orbit can no longer perform its function, or if a new need emerges, we need to launch within days, if not hours. The project aims to bolster space-based defence and tackle in-orbit space debris. The UK will also send eight personnel to support the US military's Combined Space Operations Center in California . Additionally, it will invest nearly $34 million in a constellation of small satellites to send real-time video to Team Artemis ( Royal Air Force ) pilots, as part of the transatlantic Operation Olympic Defender project. The RAF will partner Virgin Orbit in launching the satellites.
The US has formed closer US space links after the secretary of state for defence, Penny Mordaunt , announced it will become the first international partner of Operation Olympic Defender . The project aims to bolster space-based defence and tackle in-orbit space debris. The UK will also send eight personnel to support the US military's Combined Space Operations Center in California . Additionally, it will invest nearly $34 million in a constellation of small satellites to send real-time video to Team Artemis ( Royal Air Force ) pilots, as part of the transatlantic Operation Olympic Defender project. The RAF will partner Virgin Orbit in launching the satellites.