EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — In a historic first, students from the Space Test Course at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School successfully operated a satellite in space from Edwards Air Force Base, May 20.
Previous classes have coordinated with commercial space providers to acquire satellite imagery to support multidomain testing, dictating desired imagery and pass schedules, albeit without direct interaction with the satellite. May 20 marks the inaugural instance where U.S. Space Force STC Class 24A students issued commands to a satellite in orbit from Edwards thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicle Directorate.