Space Force launched two additional satellites today as part of its push for greater Space Domain Awareness, or SDA, in geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles away from Earth.

The two satellites are part of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, and will allow Space Force to not only locate and identify objects in this distant orbit, but also maneuver close to them in order to inspect them or assess their capabilities.

Space Force has not released any details about how these two new GSSAP satellites might differ from the previous four, which were designed to operate near the belt of other geosynchronous satellites and maneuver close to them to conduct surveillance.

Raymond elaborated somewhat, stating that the new satellites are part of Space Force’s goal of being able to identify what capabilities other satellites in geosynchronous orbit may possess:.

While the exact capabilities of the satellites are not public, it’s known that they are able to capture close-up images of other satellites in geosynchronous orbit.

The former head of Air Force Space Command, General John Hyten (Ret.), has previously said the satellites are capable of capturing some “truly eye-watering” imagery.

The few public descriptions of the GSSAP satellites and their capabilities would suggest that they are similar to the highly-maneuverable “inspector satellites” that have shadowed American satellites for years

Given the adversary satellite capabilities that are known to the public, it’s no wonder Space Force wants maneuverable sets of eyes way out at 22,000 miles from Earth to keep track of what’s going on in geosynchronous orbit.