SPACECOM chief doubles down on need for on-orbit mobility

Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander, U.S. Space Command, provides updates on SPACECOM at the 2025 Space and Missile Defense Symposium on Aug. 5, 2025, in Huntsville, Ala. (Photo by Allen Meeks/U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command)

By Theresa Hitchens • Aug 07, 2025

US Space Command is amping up calls for new on-orbit mobility capabilities to allow satellites to dodge threats and even pursue enemy spacecraft — capabilities SPACECOM Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting today stressed are necessary to achieving “space superiority.”

“Sustained space maneuver is crucial to our resilience and lethality through the mobility and endurance of our spacecraft. This year, we’re elevating the importance of executing maneuver without threat, especially in geosynchronous orbit, where assets like space situational awareness satellites must have the agility to move when and where they’re needed to enable space superiority,” he told the annual Space & Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Ala.

For the past several years, SPACECOM has been loudly advocating for more resources to develop the enabling technologies to allow future satellites to maneuver relatively quickly, over long periods of time. These include things like next-generation propulsion systems, spacecraft to provide on-orbit refueling systems and even “gas stations” in orbit.