Overview

• U.S. Space Command repositioned a satellite Sept. 4–12 to conduct a rendezvous and proximity operation with a U.K. spacecraft, which officials said confirmed the British satellite’s nominal status.
• Leaders from both commands said the maneuver demonstrated combined readiness and delivered a credible deterrent in a contested space environment.
• U.K. officials identified the inspected satellite as the military communications spacecraft SKYNET 5A in geosynchronous orbit about 35,000 miles above Earth.
• U.S. Space Command did not disclose which American satellite performed the inspection, noting only that the operation was executed under the Multinational Force — Operation Olympic Defender framework.
• The bilateral action follows an earlier U.S.-France RPO this year as the seven-nation Olympic Defender coalition expands coordinated on-orbit operations, while separate U.S. debates over relocating Space Command raise readiness concerns.