True Anomaly announced today that its autonomous orbital vehicle, Jackal, has completed all of its Mission X-3 test objectives, clearing the final hurdles to being fully commissioned.
“Mission X-3 really demonstrated the capabilities that the Space Force needs across a variety of programs,” True Anomaly CEO and cofounder Even Rogers told Payload. “When we designed Jackal and Mosaic, we designed it explicitly for orbital-warfare and space-domain-awareness missions. Now we’ve demonstrated several of the conops and key capabilities that are core to those missions and those future programs.”
The hard part: X-3 is the company’s third and most complex yet in a series of self-funded flight tests. The campaign challenged Jackal, and the capabilities of mission software Mosaic, for end-to-end uncooperative rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). The test included:
- Successful open-loop and closed-loop tracking of resident space objects;
- Validation of ability to execute closed-loop tracking of maneuvering targets during simultaneous vehicle maneuvers;
- Completion of propulsion commissioning and trajectory-changing maneuvers;
- Improved GPS-solution robustness, to counter interference.
“We’ve established this incredible operating rhythm, trust, and cohesion between the flight-operations team and the engineering team, over the last month and a half,” said Rogers. “That has created a feedback loop into engineering and product development, that also sets us up for future missions.”
The company plans on continuing to perform demonstrations with the Jackal spacecraft, with eventual aims to test the vehicle in GEO and cislunar orbits.
The real work: Following the announcement of a $650M Series D in April, Mission X-3 marks a critical milestone for the company whose mission exclusively focuses on delivering capabilities for space superiority. During the next several months, True Anomaly will need to deliver across a range of Space Force contracts:
- VICTUS HAZE: Jackal will test RPO tactics alongside Rocket Lab, as part of the Tactically Responsive Space mission.
- Andromeda: True Anomaly is one of several companies delivering next-generation geosynchronous surveillance and reconnaissance.
- Golden Dome: The company is one of 12 tapped to build the space-based interceptor component of the missile-defense system.
“It’s really about product delivery and scale,” said Rogers. “We have major contract deliveries over the next 12 to 18 months that are major inflection points for the business—and demonstrate our ability to be a multi-product company, delivering warfighting capabilities that work in the environment operationally. That’s the thing that we’re most focused on.”
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