The U.S. Air Force is considering plans to partner with companies and foreign nations on satellite-based surveillance projects as the branch works to manage budget limitations, Reuters reported Tuesday.Irene Klotz writes the Air Force has launched a review of its space programs and is slated to report initial findings this summer.
“We know a lot of nations out there are developing counter-space capabilities … It is scary what some nations are about now,” Gen. William Shelton, head of the Air Force Space Command told a National Space Club Florida Committee meeting Tuesday in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
“I personally believe that these alternative architectures, which are much more responsive to the threat that we see coming down … is the direction we need to go,” Shelton added, according to the report.
Reuters reports the branch plans to acquire smaller satellites and space vehicles and allow contractors to compete for satellite launch projects.
The Air Force currently tracks approximately 23,000 objects in space, according to Klotz.
