June 25, 2009 :: Space.com :: News
The first of two missile defense satellites has been delivered to the Air Force in Cape Canaveral; Northrop Grumman awaits shipping orders from MDA regarding the second. Both satellites are scheduled to be placed into orbit this year. They are meant to complement the ground-based components of the Space Tracking and Surveillance System at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado.
The satellites will add a layer to the surveillance component of the U.S. BMD system by providing the Missile Defense Agency with its first space-based missile-tracking capabilities; currently the MDA is better at tracking the launch and terminal phases of ballistic missiles than it is at tracking mid-course flight.
The scheduled launch follows a May MDA launch of a separate classified STSS demonstration satellite. The two additional satellites slated for launch later this year were originally part of a program called the Flight Demonstration System, which was cancelled in 1999. The satellites were revived in 2002 when the MDA awarded $868 million to Northrop Grumman to prepare the satellites to go into orbit.
The Air Force has plans for a six-month testing period, during which time two ballistic missile targets will be launched and tracked. MDA's STSS program director, Air Force Col. Jay Morgan, has stated that the satellites will play a role in at least two other MDA tests. These planned tests should be regarded as provisional, as MDA's formal test schedule is not yet finalized.
Northrop Grumman's STSS program manager, Gabe Watson, said the following of the MDA's addition of the two satellites to its BMD system:
We can track missiles in every stage of flight, from launch to intercept, and do hit assessment as well. If the MDA wants to intercept missiles in the ascent phase, they will need additional data that [current missile warning satellites] don't provide.
(Article)» Northrop Grumman Announcement
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