US Space Force: the Earth–Moon space becomes a battlefield, with requests for information to industry on the way

The Pentagon now treats the space between Earth and the Moon (cislunar space) as a high-priority battlefield and is asking the US Space Force to quickly acquire commercially available technology and spacecraft. Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force’s acquisition chief for advanced programmes, told the Space Industry Days conference in Los Angeles that the service will soon issue two requests for information (RFIs) to industry, as Breaking Defense reported.

The first will ask for commercial technology ready for core missions in the Earth–Moon region, such as space domain awareness and positioning, navigation and timing. The second will concern artificial-intelligence software that will let spacecraft operate autonomously. The Space Force wants capabilities that can enter service by the end of fiscal year 2029, without heavy spending on research and development of new systems.

“At the beginning of the year cislunar was not being discussed, and I was basically told not to talk about it,” Purdy said. “Now the Secretary of War and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are publicly saying this is a battlefield.” Secretary Pete Hegseth said on October 20 in Dayton, Ohio, that whoever controls the seabed and the Earth–Moon space will dominate the next conflict.

China moves first

Purdy explained the reason for the rush simply: “China is moving in this domain. We traditionally have not.” One Chinese venture that caused concern was the launch of 30 CubeSat microsatellites into an elliptical orbit near one of the Lagrange points of the Earth–Moon system and into a circular orbit around the Moon. Beijing presents it as a scientific experiment, while experts believe it serves surveillance of the region.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense is starting cross-agency policy groups on the issue, while the Space Force works with NASA on a common architecture rather than separate systems. The Cislunar Coordination Office, founded in May, has been tasked with giving industry a clearer signal about military needs.

The United States is strengthening its presence in space overall, following the revelation that it has developed weapon systems in orbit. The protection of space assets is also a concern in Europe, which is strengthening its mechanism for responding to space threats.