Space Force officially has its own weapon for taking out satellites

Space Force has spent several months building out its idea of “orbital warfare” and now it has one of its first weapons.

Last month, Space Force Combat Forces Command acquired the Meadowlands, which can blast enemy satellites with electromagnetic radiation to shut them down. Developed by L3Harris Technologies, the new weapon is able to “detect, deny, disrupt, and degrade adversary capabilities,” according to Space Force.

Specifically, the Meadowlands is a terrestrial-based weapon meant to jam enemy systems in space, disrupting transmissions from satellites and ground stations. That could, in practice, interrupt communications, geolocation tracking and enemy surveillance, impacting their ability to fight. It essentially allows forces inside the atmosphere to carry out combined arms operations into space.

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Unlike other weapons Space Force is looking into, this one is strictly non-kinetic and doesn’t require developments in laser technology; other weapons the service has mentioned exploring would outright destroy enemy satellites with missiles or rounds, although that presents issues of dangerous debris entering orbit. The electromagnetic radiation fired by Guardians from the Meadowlands system targets enemy satellites’ antenna, rendering them inoperable for as long as the U.S. military needs them to be.

Space Force noted that this is a “reversible” capability; Guardians can unjam a satellite, with no permanent damage and avoiding leaving more wrecks in space.

The new weapon will be operated by Guardians from Mission Delta 3, Space Force’s main electromagnetic warfare unit based out of Peterson Space Force Base. Electromagnetic warfare, alongside communications and missile warning, is one of the key pillars of how Space Force has outlined its mission.

“We’re continuously pursuing capability modifications to modernize our fleet and better enable our Guardians as they execute missions on behalf of the combatant command and in support of U.S. objectives,” Space Force Col. Angelo Fernandez, the commander of Mission Delta 3 – Space Electromagnetic Warfare said in a statement. “Continued U.S. Space Force investment in electromagnetic warfare systems, software, and advanced training is essential to modern warfare.”

The weapon itself looks like a large antenna dish set up on a mounted trailer. The new weapon has actually spent years in development, initially as the “Counter Communications System,” first set up in 2004. According to the developer, it can carry out simultaneous jamming missions, targeting multiple satellites, while its size — being much smaller than previous developmental iterations — means it can be easily relocated by ground or loaded into a cargo plane. Space Force noted that design means it can be set up safely in the rear or in “forward austere environments.”

That orbital angle to combat is becoming increasingly important. Military leaders over the last year have highlighted Space Force’s role in missions such as Operation Midnight Hammer (which Space Force cited when mentioning uses for Meadowlands) and this January’s Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela, where Guardians helped “create a pathway” for U.S. special operations forces, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.