COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The U.S. Air Force plans to accelerate by two years the first launch of a satellite constellation intended to keep tabs on activity in Earth orbit. In addition, the service is considering a variety of alternative technologies for the subsequent satellites.
By launching the first Space-Based Space Surveillance System satellite in 2006 rather than 2008, the Air Force hopes to avoid a gap in coverage that otherwise might be left by the expected demise of the Midcourse Space Experiment satellite, according to a written response to questions provided by Lt. Sharbe Clark, a spokeswoman for the service.
The Midcourse Space Experiment, a prototype missile tracking satellite that was launched in 1996, has fulfilled its original mission and currently is being used to augment the Pentagon’s ground-based space surveillance system. However, the satellite’s sensor being used for space surveillance has exceeded its design life, the Air Force said.
Industry officials said the Midcourse Space Experiment satellite is expected to cease functioning properly in 2006.
A contract to build the first Space-Based Surveillance System satellite is expected this year, industry officials said. Previous plans called for the award this year of design contracts for the full system.
Meanwhile, the Air Force is considering alternatives to the plan under which the surveillance constellation was to consist of four to six similar satellites, according to Brig. Gen. John Sheridan, director of requirements at Air Force Space Command here. Among the alternatives is a swarm of tiny spacecraft, each separately equipped with one or more of a variety of capabilities, including visible and infrared sensors, and radio-frequency transmitters, he said.
Placing all of those sensor capabilities on each spacecraft would make the system prohibitively expensive, according to one industry official.
The Space-Based Space Surveillance System is intended to help the Air Force monitor space debris or satellites that might pose a threat to U.S. spacecraft, Peter B. Teets, undersecretary of the Air Force and director of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, told Congress in March.
The Air Force plans to spend $79 million on the program in 2004, and a total of $790 million over the next five years.
The military does not believe that threats to U.S. satellites have increased over the past several years, said Air Force Gen. Lance Lord, commander of Air Force Space Command. Rather, the Pentagon’s growing recognition of the importance of space-based capabilities has driven the military to be more vigilant in guarding against threats that might emerge, Lord said April 8 during a press conference here at the 19th National Space Symposium, an event sponsored by the Space Foundation.
Jack Spencer, a senior defense analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, said it is not clear when U.S. satellites may come under threat, but added that the Air Force nonetheless should quickly pursue the Space-Based Space Surveillance System to stay ahead of potential enemies.
"I’m not a big fan of waiting for threats to emerge before addressing the technology," Spencer said.
Potential enemies may be deterred from developing or using anti-satellite weapons if they are aware that the United States can identify them, Spencer said.
Theresa Hitchens, vice president of the Center for Defense Information, another Washington think tank, said U.S. satellites are unlikely to be threatened anytime soon due to the high cost of developing and launching anti-satellite weapons. However, the Space-Based Space Surveillance System still could be valuable in helping prevent collisions between U.S. satellites and other spacecraft or orbital debris, she said.
Among the companies planning to compete to build the first satellite are: Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, Canoga Park, Calif.; Lockheed Martin Space and Strategic Missiles, Sunnyvale, Calif.; Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, Calif.; Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va.; and Spectrum Astro Inc., Gilbert, Ariz. Officials with these companies said meeting the accelerated deployment schedule is feasible because the technology needed to track space objects is similar to that used on a variety of imaging and missile warning satellites.
Detecting and tracking space objects is relatively easy because they tend to stand out against the cold, dark background of space, said Stan Stigdon, director of marketing and business development at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems of Baltimore, which is hoping to build the sensor payload for the satellite prime contractor.
