HOUSTON -- The prowess of U.S. space technology is to be increased through a partnership struck up between NASA, the U.S. Strategic Command, the National Reconnaissance Office, Air Force Space Command and the Pentagons Director of Defense Research and Engineering.
Word at the World Space Congress has it that the partnership has been strengthened through a newly signed memorandum of agreement.
Next-generation launch vehicles, enhanced use of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellations, telecommunications, and radar surveillance from space all these and other technologies are to be moved forward given growth of a NASA-military alliance called the Partnership Council.
Cooperative relationships
According to U.S. Air Force officials, the October 8 agreement establishes cooperative relationships between space-interested organizations to boost technological research and development.
At a recent meeting of the Space Transportation Association (STA) in Washington, D.C. details regarding the agreement were discussed. According to U.S. Air Force and NASA officials, national security interests and future commercial applications will benefit from the enhanced partnership.
"The partnership that comes from these kinds of interchanges [is] important to all of our national security space activities," said Undersecretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets said at the STA meeting. "Our national security activities can pay dividends to the NASA civil space program as well," he said.
Common work
"I think it's natural to develop common technologies together," said Ron Sega, a former NASA astronaut, now Director of Defense Research and Engineering.
"At the end of the day, we may have different requirements and different systems, but there's a lot of...common work that can we can do in research and development," Sega told the STA audience.
Teets said an example of space technology with both military and civil application is the Global Positioning System.
"I think the recent military conflict has shown us, without a doubt, how important the use of space is to national security and military operations," Teets said. "GPS accuracy and capability...has been vitally important to our efforts in the war in Afghanistan," he said.
Power generation
Also attending the STA get together, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said assured space accessibility is an area the space technology partnership could immediately address.
"Propulsion power generation advances that are so critical to the purposes of [achieving] our exploration and discovery objectives are the same technologies that national security seeks to utilize," OKeefe said.
"Though applications may differ in the end," he said, "[they] nonetheless can begin with similar technologies," OKeefe said.
Reusable launch system
One major interest between the U.S. military and NASA is a solution to shoving humans and cargo into orbit via a reusable launch system.
Here at the World Space Congress, the exhibit floor buzz is the imminent demise of NASAs Space Launch Initiative a 5 year, $4.8 billion undertaking meant to further post-space shuttle launch vehicle technology.
"I've been concentrating quite heavily on our new evolved expendable launch vehicle program," Teets noted at the recent STA gathering. He said that the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) isn't the end-all for assured access. Theres need to look forward to the next generation of launch systems.
"We'll be working closely with NASA, as NASA continues to be involved with reusable launch vehicle technology. It's in a technology development phase now, but there's not a doubt in my mind that we will have a reusable launch system," Teets said.
Other research projects include telecommunications initiatives and space-based radar. "It's important that we leverage our capabilities together," Teets said, to assure having the best military and civilian space programs possible, he said.
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