Pentagon declassifying space technologies to spur private sector collaboration
Silent Barker satellite's capabilities revealed
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is planning to declassify some of its secretive space programs and technologies.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks approved a policy to reduce the classification levels of certain secret space programs and technologies to facilitate sharing with private industries and international allies, creating a strategic advantage.
The new policy allows individual branches of the U.S. armed services to set their own classification levels instead of a uniform DoD policy. It also aims to remove the Special Access Programs (SAPs) status from some key space programs, making them more accessible. In a rare disclosure, the Silent Barker satellite's general capabilities were revealed. Launched by the United Launch Alliance for the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office, it is designed to monitor activities in geosynchronous orbit (GEO).