Gravity Well Foundation

The US PACOM (pacific command hq) and many other US Military units are developing strategies and taking other actions regarding space based warfare emanating from earth. see, for example,  an excellent  naval war college paper by LCDR Victor Schaefer, "High-Value Space Asset Defense and Threat Mitigation" 13-May-2022 (https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1174719.pdf). In this unclass, free to distribute article,  he discusses the need for a comprehensive review of the almost 3,000 US satellites operating as of 2021 (with starlink and others, now tens of thousands), as well as the need for their defense and threat response adaptation. the chinese space warfare program and the need for responsive strategies is driving the review. the paper does not discuss earth centric offensive space warfare.

 

This website is not about earth centric space warfare.

 

The primary CONOPS (Concept of Operations) of this site is that "space" warfare is by definition NOT executed from the earth, but is instead originated  non-earth and executed in space without regard to earth unless an attack is originated from earth. LCdr schaefer's paper has many concepts that can be partially adapted to past-the-geosynchroneous and  moon centric space and beyond warfare and his paper, and those of many others, will be credited as appropriate.

 

this site discusses offensive space warfare as a component of defense (see page: space warfare scenarios & strategies).

 

the Gravity well diagram above is intended to show the initial scenario and associated CONOPS for this site with L1 (because it is essentially the point at which the gravitational pull of the earth and the moon are the same and minimum fuel is required to maintain a large operational control station in a stable orbit)  as the central control point for US true space based Operations; for now, centered around the moon.

 

This website places considerable importance on the Gravity Well because we believe that  Space Planners do not appreciate the offensive Power of the gravity well and its impact on ALL aspects of spave warfare. See the Topical Discussions Page and other discussions about the Well throughout this site.

 

an intial scenario/starting point for such discussions could be based on:

 

1. A large, manned (perhaps 3 SPACEX starships connected into one stationary station -  at L1 with landing docks, with a 4th used as a power station

2. A SPACEX Centric initial Moon Support Base

3. the use of L4 and L5 as storage / staging points for resources

 

 

1 Discussion: Manned SPACEX C&C at L-1

 

Below is a diagram of a manned SPACEX Starship:

 

 

One of the big issues facing US Space warfare strategies is historical SWAP limitations (Size, Weight, And Power). Because of the limited capabilities of prior rocket ships, and their high cost of operations, there was no real way to realize, at any bearable cost, the establishment of an L-1 operational C&C as will be described here.

 

THIS HAS ALL CHANGED, by 2027/2028, SPACEX's Starship can be employed to build this out (and the moon based support bases, really quickly) if enough emphasis is placed on its priority.

 

A single starship has a space large enough (1100 CM) to hold a large combant  US Navy Ship's C&C; when you add 1 more such spaceous cabin in a attached Starship you have a strategic C&C surpassing anything imagined before and at a cost comparable to a modern US combatant ocean ship.

 

With visual ports as large as shown, and a set of much lower cost but still highly capable set of earth-facing aka Webb telescope mirrors (also at a much lower cost due to the fact that SWAP is so favorable).

Such SWAP cost reduction advantages (across the lift and sustainability of all of associated space operations) become a major asset to the US Space Warfare execution strategy compared to potential Adversaries.

 

Power also becomes a strategic asset because (1) with a number of large power solar arrays that can be lifted with minimum SWAP concerns, and room in their cargo bays for lots of additional low SWAP concerned support systems, crew cabins, and

(2) with tethered cable connections to a 4th starship (now can be independently devoted to lift with low SWAP concerns) containing a US submarine nuclear reactor (perhaps with water from the moon), you have an immediately realized Starship C&C at L-1 able to handle the policing of the gravity well by the US Space Force on behalf of US Strategic interests and its allies (perhaps within the context of a MDTO (Moon Defense Treaty Organization), also discussed in other sections of this site.