Russian Dnepr Launcher Crashes in Kazakhstan
July 27, 2006 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
A Russian Dnepr carrier rocket carrying 18 mini-satellites crashed today in a remote area of Kazakhstan shortly after its lift-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, reports RIA-Novosti. The Dnepr carrier rocket, a civilian version of the heavy SS-18 Satan (RS-20 Voyevoda) intercontinental ballistic missiles, experienced a second stage breakdown 86 seconds into its flight. Russia has been using converted ballistic missiles to launch satellites into orbit since 1999. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: SS-20
» Missile system details for: Baikonur Cosmodrome
Coyle Takes Aim at Brilliant Pebbles
July 26, 2006 :: UPI :: Analysis
Philip Coyle, senior advisor at the Center for Defense Information, was recently quoted in the UPI on the issue of space-based missile defenses and in particular, the Brilliant Pebbles defense system. “The idea was that a small satellite with good brain [sic] that would see enemy missiles and dash off after it, hit it and knock it down,” he said, but noted that such a concept would have required numerous satellites, perhaps as many as 1,000 to be effective. “You can’t have one interceptor parked over North Korea,” he argued. “You need another to take its place.” Coyle also questioned the monetary feasibility of the program. “It would be, by all measures, very expensive. And it’s still problematic as to whether it would work. They’ve been projecting [costs] for at least 20 years and it doesn’t seem to happen.”
Would Brilliant Pebbles work? Coyle does not mention that Brilliant Pebbles had successfully completed its simulation stage and was ready to move to the proof-of-concept, prototype, and performance testing stages when it was effectively starved of funding as the Clinton administration came to power. Nor does he mention that in 1994 NASA launched a deep-space probe mission known as “Clementine,” constructed with first-generation Brilliant Pebbles hardware. The mission, which cost $80 million, effectively “space-qualified” Brilliant Pebbles technology, even though the missile defense program had already been eliminated.
Would Brilliant Pebbles be too expensive? The newly released report by the Independent Working Group entitled Missile Defense, the Space Relationship and the Twenty-First Century—the report cited by the UPI piece—puts the total cost of a 1,000-satellite constellation of Brilliant Pebbles at $16 billion, based on the fully approved Defense Acquisition Board plan from 1991. The figure includes the costs of developing, testing, deploying, and operating Brilliant Pebbles over a 20-year period using a low-to-moderate risk, event-driven acquisition schedule. Many would agree that $16 billion dollars is a small price to pay for the protection of the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missile attack and nuclear devastation. (Article, Link)
» Read the 2007 report: The Independent Working Group on Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century (8 MB)
» More stories on: Allies, Policy, Space-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Brilliant Pebbles
Independent Working Group Issues Major Report on Ballistic Missile Defense
July 21, 2006 :: Analysis
Five years after withdrawing from the ABM Treaty, the United States has so far failed to take advantage of the withdrawal and revive development of specific technologies necessary to make the nation and its allies safe from missile attack. On July 10, The Independent Working Group (IWG) issued a major report outlining the need for more ambitious efforts in ballistic missile defense policy. The report, entitled Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century, advocates the development and deployment of robust missile defense capabilities well beyond the limited ground-based system currently being deployed in Alaska and California. The Claremont Institute is one of eight public policy organizations from around the country co-sponsoring the report.
The report recommends that the Pentagon build on the legacy of technologies developed under the Strategic Defense Initiative of the Reagan and first Bush administrations. Sea- and space-based assets should constitute the backbone of a robust, layered U.S. missile defense shield, which ground-based systems should support. Such a shield would be capable of protecting the U.S., its allies, and troops abroad against the threat of a hostile missile attacks from any quarter. The missile threat has only increased in recent years as rogue nations and transnational terrorist organizations attempt to acquire ballistic missile technology and weapons of mass destruction. The report praises the Bush Administration for withdrawing from the 1972 ABM Treaty and beginning modest and limited deployments, but also criticizes the failure to use existing technologies to deploy a more robust system actually capable of defending the United States, our troops, and our allies.
Changes to sea-based missile defense development programs could be made for approximately $350 million, in three specific areas. The U.S. could demonstrate a space-based missile defense system for some $3-5 billion, and field some 1000 space-based interceptors for an anticipated cost of $16.4 billion. Current expenditures for missile defense total approximately $8 billion per year.
The Independent Working Group is co-chaired by Dr. Robert Pfaltzgraff, President of the Institute of Foreign Policy Analysis (IFPA) at Tufts University, and by Dr. William R. Van Cleave, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies at Missouri State University, and a member of the original U.S. delegation which drafted the 1972 ABM Treaty. Ambassador Henry F. Cooper, who in former roles oversaw both development of missile defense for the U.S. and was chief negotiator to the Geneva Defense and Space Talks, Dr. Robert Jastrow, founding director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Dr. Lowell Wood, a Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Commissioner on the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) were among the numerous missile defense, space, and security experts from the scientific, technical, and national security policy communities around the country who are members of the Independent Working Group.
Members of the Working Group also include Brian T. Kennedy, president of the Claremont Institute, and Thomas Karako, Director of Programs at the Claremont Institute and editor of Missilethreat.com. Sponsors and authors of the IWG report include eight think-tanks headquartered in Washington D.C., California, Alaska, Missouri, Massachusetts, and around the country.
Further, the experts called on the U.S. to recreate and sustain the scientific and technology base—including the workforce needed—to assure U.S. primacy in space and missile defense. That job would be accomplished by revamping organizational leadership of sea and space based missile defense in the U.S., and directing the National Science Foundation and other government agencies to further emphasize research in space technologies.
The report was released July 10 in Washington D.C., and will be followed by a series of briefings to the public and governmental officials during 2006 and 2007.
“We cannot be complacent about the missile defense program we have with the new threats the U.S. is facing,” said Dr. Robert Pfaltzgraff, co-chair of the Independent Working Group. “We promised ourselves an effective, layered defense with our withdrawal from the ABM treaty. It is now time to put politics aside and use the most effective technologies to make that happen.” (Article, Link)
» Read the 2007 Report: The Independent Working Group on Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century (8 MB)
» More stories on: Resources, Space-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Brilliant Pebbles, Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)
Lockheed Martin Completes SBIRS Software Component
July 19, 2006 :: UPI :: News
Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday, July 18, that it has completed an important software component for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), which is currently under development. SBIRS will be a high-orbiting constellation of satellites designed to detect and track ballistic missiles all over the globe. It will replace the current Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, which have provided early missile warning information for more than 30 years. The software developed by Lockheed Martin for SBIRS will be integrated with the system’s Pointing and Control Assembly, which operates each satellite’s highly-sensitive “staring” and “scanning” sensors. The scanning sensors are designed to detect missile launches, whereas the staring sensors are intended to lock on to the missiles themselves and transmit detailed data to other elements of the U.S. missile defense shield. The current DSP satellites, which only have scanning sensors, currently take 40-50 seconds to detect a missile launch and determine its course; SBIRS is expected to take only 10-20 seconds to accomplish this task and inform ground elements.
Lockheed Martin has delivered the new software to Northrop Grumman in California, where it will be integrated with another system component that extracts the missile’s infrared signal from background noise and chatter. The completed payload is expected to be delivered to Lockheed Martin in mid-2007 for spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing in preparation for launch in late 2008. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Defense Support Program (DSP), Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)
Cornell Researchers Said to Crack Galileo Satellite Code
July 19, 2006 :: Spacewar.com :: News
Members of Cornell University’s Global Positioning System Laboratory have reportedly cracked the random number codes of Europe’s first global navigation satellite, despite efforts to keep the code secret. The navigational satellite, known as the Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element-A (GIOVE-A), is a prototype for 30 satellites that will constitute Galileo, a $4 billion joint venture of the European Union, European Space Agency, and private investors. Galileo, expected to be in service by 2010, is Europe’s answer to the U.S. GPS system. Yet while the GPS signal is free to consumers, Galileo is expected to charge a fee for its PRN (Pseudo Random Noise) codes, presumably in order to turn a profit for its investors. Since Galileo and GPS will share frequent bandwidths, Europe and the U.S. signed an agreement whereby some of Galileo’s PRN codes will be made public. Yet ever since GIOVE-A began broadcasting its first signals in January 2006, none of these codes have been released.
Enter Mark Psiaki, an aerospace engineer at Cornell and co-leader of the GPS Laboratory. In late January, Psiaki requested the PRN codes from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), the small British company that built GIOVE-A. SSTL declined his request. Psiaki decided to obtain the codes himself “just with an antenna and lots of signal processing.” His team spent an entire week developing a basic algorithm, and two weeks later they received their first signal from the satellite. By mid-March they were able to derive their first estimates of the PRN code, and on April 1 the Cornell researchers published the final version on their website. On April 3, NovAtel Inc., a Canadian-based major manufacturer of GPS receivers, downloaded the codes from the website in a few minutes and soon afterward was able to begin tracking GIOVE-A for the first time. The PRN code and the methods used to extract it were published in the June issue of GPS World. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems
Northrop Grumman to Provide Navigation Systems for MUOS Satellites
July 18, 2006 :: Lockheed Martin :: News
Northrop Grumman has been selected to provide navigation systems for the next generation U.S. military satellite communications system, known as the Mobile User Objective System Satellite (MUOS). MUOS is an array of satellites being developed by the U.S. Navy that will provide global SATCOM narrowband (384kbps and below) communications connectivity for the U.S. military and its allies. The system is intended to significantly improve communications for military forces on the battlefield. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor and satellite designer for MUOS, and recently selected Northrop Grumman’s Navigation Systems Division to build Scalable SIRU inertial navigation units for the first two MUOS satellites, which are scheduled for in-orbit delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2010.
The Pentagon’s increased reliance on space-based technologies underscores the need to defend them. As of now, assets such as MUOS remain undefended and vulnerable to foreign attack. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems
Russia Launches SS-18 ICBM Carrying U.S. Civilian Satellite
July 12, 2006 :: AP :: News
Russia today launched a modified SS-18 Satan (RS-20 Voyevoda) ICBM, also known as the Dnepr carrier rocket, carrying an experimental U.S. civilian satellite known as Genesis I, reports the Strategic Missile Forces. The converted missile was launched from a silo in Russia’s southern Ural Mountains, and reached an altitude of over 500 km within minutes. The Genesis I is an experimental inflatable spacecraft funded by Robert Bigelow, a real estate magnate who is among several entrepreneurs attempting to develop a commercial space station. The Genesis I, at 4.2 m long, 1.2 m wide, and weighing 1,270 kg, is a one-third scale prototype of the commercial space station to which the company eventually hopes to transport its clients. Bigelow Aerospace plans to study its durability over the next five years. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Russia, Space-Based Systems, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: SS-20
Pentagon’s Demand for Commercial Satellites Skyrockets
July 11, 2006 :: Jane's Information Group :: News
The Pentagon’s need for commercial satellite service will increase dramatically over the next 10 years, according to a recent market study. NSR, a consultancy based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, projects that global annual government and military purchases of commercial satellite bandwidth will increase from $1 billion in 2003 to $4.8 billion by 2012, and will be $25 billion by 2016. Jose del Rosario, an analyst at NSR and author of the report, said that the Pentagon will be the main driver of the projected growth due to ongoing operations in the Middle East and domestic homeland security needs. “Although the military wants to be independent of commercial assets and launch proprietary systems, its ever-increasing bandwidth requirements necessitate the incorporation of commercial satellite assets,” he said.
The Pentagon’s increased reliance on space-based technologies underscores the need for space-based defenses. As of now, these assets remain undefended and vulnerable to foreign attack. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems
U.S. Increasingly Relies on Space Assets for Warfighting
June 24, 2006 :: AFP :: News
The Pentagon is increasingly relying on space assets for warfighting, reports the AFP. Sophisticated satellites are used to track down enemies, and keep a round-the-clock watch on unfriendly foes. This technological advantage was most recently demonstrated by the air raid that killed the Al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, an attack that used the U.S. global positioning satellite (GPS) system. The article also discusses the use of space-based assets in the context of missile defense, which has come into focus amid North Korea’s reported plans to test a long-range ballistic missile. If North Korea proceeds with the launch, MDA satellites would be the first to detect the missile, giving the Pentagon time to deploy interceptor missiles.
The U.S. currently has the dominant lead in defense satellite technology, as Russia is failing to replace its decommissioned satellites due to chronic underfunding, and China is only starting to realize its space ambitions. Nevertheless, many believe that the current U.S. dominance in space is not guaranteed in the long-term. Lieutenant General Robert Kehler, the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, recently discussed the matter before a Congressional panel. “Our enemies clearly understand the reliance we place in our space capabilities,” Kehler said. “We cannot assume that space will be a sanctuary for U.S. national security assets and must take prudent steps to ensure that we have the capability to protect our space assets.” (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems
Solomonov: Russia Developing Laser and Kinetic Space-Based Weapons
May 26, 2006 :: Interfax :: News
Yuri Solomonov, chief designer of the Russian Topol-M (SS-27) and Bulava (SS-NX-30) missiles, hinted last week that Moscow has a secret space-based weapons program, according to a report from Interfax. Speaking at the Russian Academy of Sciences on May 16, Solomonov discussed new space-based x-ray lasers and kinetic weapons; mini-satellites that would deploy IT systems for monitoring and reacting to operational situations; and high-resolution advanced Earth satellite sensors capable of showing objects as small as half a meter in size from 400 to 500 km away in space. He added that Russia is developing these new space-based assets in order to maintain state security. (Link)
» More stories on: Russia, Space-Based Systems
