The moon's near side, as seen from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.In light of increased NASA and international interest, the U.S. Space Force has released a new primer to guide activities beyond Earth orbit.Air Force Research Laboratory published a report last Wednesday, June 23. It suggested that military officials should be prepared for "cislunar Space." This is the area roughly covering the moon and surrounding region. As the United States' space service military branch, the Space Force would be a large part of the report's target audience.The moon is already a prominent destination in the civilian sector. NASA's Artemis program aims to send astronauts to the moon within a few years. Nearly a dozen countries have already joined NASA's larger moon exploration effort under Artemis Accords.Related: Is Earth moon space the new US military high ground?NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which uses private landers and spacecraft to place scientific hardware on the Moon in the next few years for scientific exploration and long-term settlement, will continue to operate.You can read the new report here. It is aimed at military space professionals, who will respond to the call to develop plans and capabilities, expertise, and operational concepts in cislunar orbit, given continuing civilian interest.This document is mainly concerned with technical issues such as observations challenges, advantages and disadvantages from different sensors types and locations and best practices in spacecraft trajectories within cislunar orbit.Cislunar space is subjected to gravitational influences from Earth and the sun, and is generally unstable, with the exception of relatively small areas of gravitational stability among large bodies known as Lagrange point. For example, the James Webb Space Telescope (NASA) will operate at a Lagrange Point between the Earth's sun and the Earth.Col. Eric Felt is the director of AFRL’s space vehicles directate. SpaceNews reported that this document aims "educate" and "inspire" because of the "unique challenges” of operating beyond Earth orbit. The recent military cislunar push for this zone is not new. It was discussed in 2018 by the Trump presidential administration, right before the U.S. Space Force officially was established in late 2019.Everett Dolman, a military scholar, described the military's interest in cislunar spaces as a historical movement. Previous British and U.S. imperial expeditions into international waters were also accompanied by increased activity in the naval area. These earlier military efforts included activities like protecting civilians against pirates and raiders, and dealing with natural threats like extreme weather.Dolman is a professor of comparative warfare studies at the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, which is based at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.Since then, discussions have continued. According to industry discussions, another aspect of military presence within cislunar orbit could be the protection of communication and trade routes. Officials said that cislunar, not geosynchronous orbit, could become the new "high ground", for human activity. In 2021, the U.S. military selected three companies to test nuclear propulsion within cislunar orbit.Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Spacedotcom
