Jamie Bennet
Boeing’s Millennium Space Systems subsidiary reached operational readiness of its Victus Nox space vehicle 11 hours ahead of schedule.
The company said Monday the space vehicle completed checkout and achieved full mission operability 37 hours after it was launched on Sept. 14 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Victus Nox mission was developed by the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate the country’s capability for rapid on-orbit response to a national security threat. The vehicle was built by Millennium, which enlisted the help of Firefly Aerospace for component manufacturing and launch preparations.
Millennium and its team planned to achieve mission readiness 48 hours after lift-off.
Also, in less than 58 hours, they accomplished all activation activities, including the spacecraft’s transportation and fueling, as well as payload adaptor loading. The launch phase involved trajectory software updates, satellite encapsulation and Alpha launch vehicle integration.
Millennium CEO Jason Kim described Victus Nox as “a critical measure toward ensuring advantage through a resilient space order of battle in any environment,” adding that the program “is paving the way for future Tactically Responsive Space missions.”
