Dogfighting in space won't look like the movies, but this company wants in on it

"Where we are today in space warfare is very similar to where air superiority was in the 1930s. If a battle is fought in space, it will look nothing like those depicted in the Star Wars franchise, with sleek TIE fighters blasting enemy ships with laser cannons and mag-pulses. Instead, these battles will be cerebral and unhurried, somewhat like the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, a slow-burning political thriller with a plot that somehow mixes tension with clinical precision."

"The Jackal spacecraft is designed for agility and maneuverability. True Anomaly has launched three Jackal test missions to date, and a fourth one is planned for launch in the next few months. The spacecraft bus, or chassis, is about the size of a refrigerator. It's essentially a flying fuel tank with room for thrusters and sensors to rapidly turn, approach, and surveil other objects in orbit."

"True Anomaly, which emerged from stealth just three years ago, is planning for The Day of the Jackal in space. The startup's primary hardware product, aptly named Jackal, is a war-ready satellite platform designed for mass production. In nature, jackals are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and hunting prowess. True Anomaly's Jackal boasts similar traits in space."

Space warfare will fundamentally differ from popular science fiction depictions, operating instead with methodical, long-term planning similar to strategic thrillers. True Anomaly, a startup founded in 2022 by former Air Force officer Evan Rogers, is developing the Jackal spacecraft—a refrigerator-sized, mass-producible satellite platform designed for orbital operations. The Jackal features advanced agility, maneuverability, thrusters, and sensors enabling rapid repositioning and surveillance of objects in orbit. Three test missions have launched successfully, with a fourth planned soon. The company has secured approximately $400 million in investment, positioning itself at the forefront of space warfare technology development.

Read at Ars Technica