The U.S. Space Force has launched five Department of War experiments and additional CubeSats into low Earth orbit as part of DOW’s Space Test Program S29A, or STP-S29A, mission.
The momentum behind missions like STP-S29A reflects the growing urgency to advance space capabilities and strengthen national security. Register now for the 2026 Air and Space Summit on July 30 and join leaders and experts as they discuss the future of space innovation and defense.
Space Systems Command said the STP-S29A mission carrying the STPSat-7 space vehicle lifted off Tuesday aboard a Northrop Grumman-built Minotaur IV rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
“The successful launch of STP-S29A directly answers the call for a stronger, more capable military and underscores the critical role of the Space Force in deterring future conflicts,” said USSF Lt. Col. Brian Shimek, system program manager and director for STP.
“The space domain is where we can and must maintain our strategic advantage. This mission is a clear demonstration of that principle in action,” added Shimek.
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What Is STPSat-7?
STPSat-7 is an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter-class satellite designed and developed by STP.
The spacecraft carries five experimental payloads and uses common platform avionics previously deployed to the International Space Station. STP will operate the satellite from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
What Are the 5 Experiments Aboard the STP-S29A Mission?
The STPSat-7 satellite hosts five experiments developed by military and research organizations:
- Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet Radiation Instrumentation-1C (GARI-1C) – Developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, this experiment will test GAGG scintillator-based radiation detection technology designed for space-based defense applications.
- GNSS Orbital Situational Awareness Sensor (GOSAS) – Developed by NRL, this experiment will characterize the orbital Global Navigation Satellite System environment and generate ionospheric space weather data.
- Laser-sheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) – This NRL-built instrument will detect and characterize small orbital debris that ground-based sensors cannot observe. NASA funds and manages the effort.
- Nano Ultra High Frequency Communications (NanoUHF Comms) – Developed by the Naval Information Warfare Center, this payload will demonstrate military satellite communications for proliferated LEO constellations and enable beyond-line-of-sight connectivity. It includes real-time Doppler compensation to support existing Navy radio systems.
- Rawhide – This co-prime payload is a pair of U.S. Army-sponsored CubeSats designed to continue the legacy of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technology Center's mission to build and transition tactical space support capabilities to warfighters.
What Are the Secondary Payloads?
The mission also deployed several secondary payloads that will be operated by their respective sponsors:
- MISR-C, a 16U CubeSat program designed to demonstrate responsive, multi-mission capabilities
- CANVAS, a NASA-sponsored University of Colorado Boulder payload studying lightning-generated waves in Earth’s radiation belt
- ASTRA-HyRAX, an Auburn University payload funded by the Army to characterize signal direction using a hybrid array
- AggieSat6, a Texas A&M University and Air Force Research Laboratory project demonstrating space domain awareness technologies
What Is the Space Test Program?
Founded in 1966, STP seeks to provide flight opportunities for all DOW research and development activities.
Managed by Space Systems Command's System Delta 89, the program oversees mission design, payload-to-bus integration, space vehicle-to-launch integration and on-orbit operations for science and technology payloads that demonstrate potential military utility.
STP-S29A is the 308th mission under the program.
In 2025, SSC launched the STP-S30 and STP-H10 missions. In 2023, the command and NASA launched eight experimental payloads to the ISS as part of the STP-H9 mission.
