Christopher Scolese, director of the National Reconnaissance Office and a four-time Wash100 awardee, said a joint satellite launch mission of NRO and the U.S. Space Force will serve as a “watchdog” to help identify potential threats to high-value assets in geosynchronous orbit, Defense One reported Monday.
The SILENTBARKER/NROL-107 mission was scheduled to launch on Tuesday, Aug. 29, aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket that will lift off from a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida but an impending tropical storm prompted the team to delay the launch.
“What SILENTBARKER is going to do is provide the indications and warnings so it can inform decisions about what we do or don’t need to do in terms of maneuver or awareness. So it’s a great increase in our understanding of what we’ll be able to do and will greatly improve our ability to determine future courses of action,” Scolese said.
The SILENTBARKER mission is expected to achieve full operational capability in 2026.
