True Anomaly has successfully achieved a significant milestone in orbital operations by conducting the first known in-space pursuit of an intentionally evasive target. As part of the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS HAZE mission, the company’s Jackal autonomous spacecraft was tasked with tracking and capturing multi-aspect imagery of the Puma satellite, which was operated to actively avoid being caught.

According to Payload Space, this exercise marked a critical advancement from previous testing phases, shifting the focus from simply characterizing a passive object to responding to active maneuvers. During the operation, the Jackal spacecraft demonstrated its capability to generate a validated flight plan within 30 minutes of receiving tasking. Following the initial engagement, the satellite executed a 23-minute ingress burn to close distance, utilized onboard 'Multi-Object Detection and Tracking' algorithms to maintain locks during evasive maneuvers, and ultimately achieved close proximity of roughly 10 kilometers to capture the required imagery.

True Anomaly’s leadership highlighted that the success of the mission relied heavily on the integration between human operators and the company’s Mosaic mission-command-and-control software. While the team encountered minor technical challenges, including elevated thermal temperatures, the system allowed for rapid adaptation in real-time. This mission further solidifies the potential for autonomous vehicles to handle complex orbital environments, with the company noting that the Jackal remains largely fueled and capable for future, more sophisticated exercises involving greater autonomy and maneuverability.