The United States Space Force, created by President Donald Trump, is playing a decisive role in shutting down Iran’s missile attacks during the massive military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury — using advanced satellites, cyber warfare, and cutting-edge laser technology to stop threats before they can strike.
Exploding missile debris and disabled weapons systems are now falling from the skies over the Middle East as American technology intercepts or destroys Iranian weapons mid-flight. The effort highlights the growing role of the Space Force, which was created during President Donald Trump’s administration to protect American interests in space and strengthen the nation’s military edge.
The operation, which began Feb. 28, has already delivered devastating blows to Iran’s missile infrastructure. Within the first 72 hours of fighting, U.S. forces struck roughly 1,700 targets across Iran’s military network. More than 200 ballistic missile launchers — roughly half of Iran’s arsenal — were destroyed, while dozens more were rendered unusable through cyber and electronic warfare.
Guardians around the globe are shoulder-to-shoulder with the Joint Force in the Operation Epic Fury fight. pic.twitter.com/QsFtnAicFq
— United States Space Force (@USSpaceForce) March 4, 2026
Hundreds of Iranian missiles have also been neutralized before reaching their targets. Much of that success has been credited to space-based surveillance and tracking systems operated by the Trump Space Force. The Trump initiated service uses advanced satellites equipped with infrared sensors capable of detecting missile launches the instant they occur.
“They do it with satellites that have infrared sensors for finding where rockets are being fired,” Brent David Ziarnick, a former professor in the Trump Space Force program at Johns Hopkins University and retired U.S. Air Force officer, explained. “They can spot the missiles and pinpoint where the launchers are. The missiles can be intercepted and destroyed,” he said.
Those satellites track the intense heat signature created when missiles ignite, allowing military forces to immediately determine the launch site and projected trajectory. Field units and missile defense systems are then alerted instantly. “Field forces get notified that an attack is coming, so they can go to shelters or bunkers,” Ziarnick added.
Once the launch is detected, interceptor systems — including Patriot missiles — can destroy the incoming threat before it reaches population centers or military installations. Despite the fighting taking place thousands of miles away, much of the Space Force’s work is carried out inside the United States.
Space Force Operators work in massive radar facilities known as “Radomes,” dome-shaped structures resembling giant golf balls. These installations collect satellite data in real time, allowing analysts to calculate the exact path and likely impact location of enemy missiles.
Ever think about how much of your day depends on space? From GPS to secure communications, Guardians are the ones keeping it all protected. The Space Force is how the U.S. stays one step ahead of our adversaries. pic.twitter.com/8RtkXvbpNn
— Space Force Recruiting (@gospaceforce) February 26, 2026
The Space Force system is designed to ensure the United States detects missile launches faster than any adversary. “The system is built to ensure, if a missile is ever launched, the United States will be the first to know about it,” said Sam Eckhome, host of the defense program Access Granted.
“Together, the three layers form one of the most advanced early warning networks in the world,” he added, referring to the integration of satellites, radar systems and Radome tracking centers.
Space Force technology is also working alongside U.S. Cyber Command to cripple Iran’s missile capabilities before launches even occur. “Space Force figures out where the radar is, then work with Cyber Command to jam it,” Ziarnick said.
Cyber teams infiltrate Iranian systems to disable their radar and communications networks, sometimes taking complete control of the systems themselves. “Cyber Command will try to make their radar not work,” Ziarnick said about Space Force actions. “It will involve infiltrating the system and shutting it down … or taking it over. The software goes and the computer turns into a brick.”
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed that cyber operations were launched even before the first missiles were fired. Before the strikes began, Cyber Command targeted Iran’s communications and sensor networks to disrupt the country’s ability to respond.
The Space Force goal, Caine said, was to “disrupt, disorient and confuse the enemy.” New battlefield technology has also been deployed against Iranian drones and rockets. Video released by U.S. Central Command shows a Navy destroyer equipped with the High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system — known as HELIOS.
The state-of-the-art laser weapon uses a concentrated beam of energy capable of destroying drones and other aerial threats. Military observers say the system focuses an “intense, tightly focused beam” capable of burning through targets at the speed of light.
Similar laser defense systems are believed to have been used by Israeli forces along the Israel-Lebanon border. Video footage shows rockets being launched only to explode moments later, an effect widely attributed to Israel’s advanced Iron Beam laser defense system.
Neither the U.S. Navy nor Israel has officially confirmed the use of lasers in Operation Epic Fury, though earlier tests showed the HELIOS system successfully destroying drone targets. Former Space Force officer Bree Fram said the conflict demonstrates how modern warfare increasingly relies on advanced technology rather than large troop deployments.
“The fact that this isn’t a mass formation of troops with rifles on the ground speaks to the fact that this force is built with extreme technology and the brain power to operate it,” Fram said. “Those combine to make us the most capable force on Earth and keep Americans safe from harm as they do the most difficult, inherently risky things that we ask them to do.”
The results on the battlefield are already clear. Hundreds of Iranian missiles have been intercepted, launch systems destroyed and enemy radar networks crippled — all while minimizing casualties among American and allied forces.
