It might be hard to fully understand what exactly the U.S. Space Force is used for. Sitting in front of a screen tracking satellites doesn’t have the same visceral impact as flying a fighter jet. So in an effort to strengthen the personal connection Space Force guardians have with the machinery they monitor in orbit, America’s newest military branch has unveiled a new naming system based on the aviation force’s past practices. What’s really new is Way It’s unveiled: through a series of clever Magic: The Gathering-style cards, with keywords and everything. I don’t know how to eavesdrop on satellites in space, but someone is definitely trying.
This is the result of an initiative that began in October 2024, when Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman publicly asked the Guardians for help developing a new naming system, Air Force & Space Force magazine reported. The idea is to give boring satellite names something cool, like the F-15 is called the “Eagle” or the F-22 is called the “Raptor.” Satellites do have letter designations for mission profiles such as “A” for attack, or positions such as “L” for low Earth orbit. The idea here is to bring more identity to the proceedings, much like Army helicopters being called Apaches, Black Hawks or Chinooks.
Notice the theme there? The helicopter is named after a Native American tribe. Likewise, the Space Force announced seven themes: orbital warfare satellites will be named after the Norse Pantheon, electromagnetic warfare satellites after snakes, cyber warfare after mythical creatures, navigation warfare after sharks, communications after constellations, missile warning after Sentinels, and space domain awareness after ghosts. That’s great, but…those Card.
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Does the satellite have a card holder?
Card art of Space Force Electromagnetic Warfare Name, Colorful Cobra in Space – DVIDS
You really have to see these cards to believe them. Orbital War is portrayed as sexy space angels, the key words being Brave, dominant, and ruthless. What, no flight?Sierra Angel will be disappointed. Meanwhile, EM looks absolutely fabulous in his colorful scales. he is Adaptable, agile, and cunning. To be clear, these are just graphical assets, not physical goods that you can hold in your hand, stuff in a box for decades, and then sell for thousands of dollars.
As Saltzman explains, the goal here is to start building a unique culture for a branch where the Guardians themselves have a direct say. This inevitably results in something that looks less like an old-school army and more like something a bunch of freshly graduated high school nerds would be used to. Regardless, these cards are just for show; the real effect will be when the Guardians start talking about Valkyrie and Anaconda and what they were doing in orbit. Honestly, it does sound better than just referring to a jumble of letter and number names. Apparently, until one of them is banned in standard format.
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