U.S. Space Command maneuvered satellites across low-, medium-, and geosynchronous orbits in an exercise early this month, advancing the command’s push to master dynamic operations in space.
SPACECOM announced the completion of Apollo Maneuvers 2026 in a Sept. 8 release, a month after commander Gen. Stephen Whiting announced the live-fly exercise to refine tactics and ultimately inform future maneuver warfare doctrine.
The exercise included maneuvers across a vast range of orbits—low-Earth orbit starts at 100 miles above the Earth’s surface, and geosynchronous orbit extends more than 22,000 miles out.
SPACECOM did not specify what assets were used or how far they moved, but Whiting said in August that the command “will take some of our existing satellites and work with partners to demonstrate what are some of the requirements and capabilities to be able to maneuver for advantage, not just maneuver when you have to change your orbital position.”
SPACECOM has been pushing hard to explore maneuver warfare in orbit under Whiting’s leadership. Most operators maneuver their satellites only to maintain orbit, preferring to conserve fuel and extend the spacecraft’s service life. But cheaper launch costs, new refueling spacecraft, and advanced propulsion technologies are causing leaders to rethink that approach.
For military operations, Pentagon space leaders have noted that satellites that cannot maneuver become easy targets. But beyond that, Whiting has argued that SPACECOM needs capabilities not just to run away, but to hold adversaries’ systems at risk.
“To perform, survive, and gain advantage in the space domain, we need maneuverability and survivability in our capabilities,” Whiting said in the release.
The Apollo Maneuvers name is a nod to the Army’s 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers, a series of major battle management exercises designed to test ground tactics during World War II. The exercise also integrated allies who are members of the multinational Operation Olympic Defender and industry players through the Commercial Integration Cell.
“The integration of allied, partner, and commercial capabilities strengthens joint and combined operations and enabled the validation of combined tactics, techniques and procedures,” SPACECOM’s release states.
