US To Launch 2 Satellites This Year Capable Of Tracking Hypersonic Missiles - Pentagon

The United States will launch two satellites later this year designed to be capable of detecting hypersonic ballistic missiles, US Missile Defense Agency Director Jon Hill said on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) The United States will launch two satellites later this year designed to be capable of detecting hypersonic ballistic missiles, US Missile Defense Agency Director Jon Hill said on Friday.

"We're going to launch our first two hypersonic ballistic tracking space sensors later this year," Hill said during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The satellites will initially be set to oversee the Indo-Pacific region, Hill said.

The Defense Department will start to monitor US missile test flights in order to learn to characterize missiles launches from space with the new satellites, Hill said.

This will be a critical step before handing them over to the US Space Force for proliferation, Hill added.

Earlier on Friday, US Congressman Doug Lamborn said that no country has defense capabilities against hypersonic weapons, which is another reason to fund research and development in this kind of weapon systems. Lamborn said China remains the "pacing threat" to the United States regarding hypersonic weapons.