America is preparing to launch a “hidden space weapon.”
Washington – The US Space Force is preparing to launch the X-37B orbital test vehicle on its eighth mission on August 21, carrying potentially game-changing technology for both military and civilian applications.
The vehicle carries a quantum inertial sensor, an innovation that could end reliance on GPS and redraw the global navigation map.
According to US reports, the GPS system, which guides aircraft, ships, and even our smartphones, is the backbone of modern life. However, its vulnerabilities are serious. Its signals can be easily jammed or spoofed, and they can be completely lost in deep space, the depths of the sea, or on battlefields crowded with electronics.
The reports continue: “Here comes the quantum solution, which requires no external signals, but rather relies on atoms cooled to absolute zero, which are transformed into waves used to measure acceleration and rotation with incredible precision, without the drift that plagues conventional systems.”
The technology will enable the X-37B to achieve precise navigation even in lunar orbit or on journeys into deep space, where GPS becomes worthless. It will also enable American submarines and aircraft in warfare to operate independently of any space signals, meaning overwhelming superiority on electronic battlefields.
In 2024, companies such as Boeing and AOSense demonstrated the technology’s success in a four-hour flight, and Britain also preceded it with a piloted flight on a civilian aircraft.
While quantum computing and encryption were once the hallmarks of the future, it appears that quantum watches and sensors will be the first real weapons to enter the realm of practical use.
If the X-37B’s eighth mission is successful, it could go down in history as the moment when absolute reliance on GPS died and the era of “unhackable navigation” began.
According to experts, the issue is not just about navigation, but also about geopolitical dominance. The country that monopolizes quantum navigation will control maritime and air trade routes and possess unhindered military capabilities, potentially reshaping the global balance of power.
The upcoming X-37B mission is not just a journey into space; it could be a formal declaration that humanity has entered the age of quantum navigation—an era that could make today’s systems seem primitive and open the door to a new global race to control the “compass of the 21st century.”
shafaq.com