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March 15, 2010
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Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)
| Country: | USA |
|---|---|
| Basing: | Space |
| In Service: | Exp. 2007 |
Details
The Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High) program will consist of high-orbiting infrared satellites designed to detect and track ballistic missiles of all sizes. Once operational, SBIRS-High will function 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and in all types of weather. It will replace the current Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, which have provided early missile warning information for more than 30 years.
In the 1980s when laying the groundwork for its missile defense shield, the Pentagon realized that if it wanted to provide an effective defense against ballistic missile attack, it needed to create a quick and efficient method of detecting and tracking enemy launches. In other words, it needed to build a constellation of infrared satellites that would serve as the watchtower for the entire Ballistic Missile Defense System.
After experimenting with several models, the U.S. Air Force in 1996 decided to create a “system of systems” to accomplish this Herculean task. It began work on a constellation of “high” and “low” infrared satellites. SBIRS-High was to consist of six large satellites deployed 22,000 miles above the Earth. Its counterpart, SBIRS-Low, was to include 20-30 smaller satellites in low-earth orbit roughly 621 to 930 miles above the Earth.
In 2001, SBIRS-Low was transferred to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and in 2002 was renamed the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS). Scheduled for launch in 2007, STSS will be capable of tracking enemy missiles against the cold background of space and observing targets with great detail. Meanwhile, the Air Force is continuing to develop SBIRS-High. At present, Lockheed Martin is its prime contractor and manages the SBIRS-High team that includes Northrop Grumman.
Once deployed, SBIRS-High will be able to detect an enemy missile just after it has been launched; track the missile as it progresses along its flight path; figure out the exact moment at which the missile deploys its nuclear, chemical, or biological warhead; and provide reliable data to defense systems (air, land, sea, or space) for their attack on the incoming warhead. The system will consist of four primary satellites in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), two spacecraft carrying infrared sensors in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and a Mission Control Station (MCS) located on the ground. The Air Force plans to acquire a fifth GEO satellite to be launched if necessary.
As envisioned, the four GEO satellites will rotate at the same speed as the Earth and will take 24 hours to make one full orbit. In doing so, they will keep a fixed position around the equator and maintain their “geosynchronous” nature. The two HEO spacecraft will orbit the poles in elliptical patterns at different speeds than the Earth, thus enhancing the GEO satellites’ field of vision. Infrared sensors on the spacecraft will identify heat sources and denote them as points on a map (unlike DSP, which produces images of potential threats). The sensors will be able to detect objects that are much cooler and dimmer than those currently tracked by DSP satellites, thus increasing the overall effectiveness of SBIRS-High and the entire missile defense shield.
SBIRS-High sensors will also include “scanning” and “staring” elements. In a typical combat scenario, the “scanning” sensors will detect a missile launch, and the “staring” sensors will lock on to the missile itself and transmit detailed data to the Mission Control Station. DSP satellites, which only have scanning sensors, currently take 40-50 seconds to detect a missile launch and determine its course. SBIRS-High, on the other hand, will take only 10-20 seconds to accomplish this task plus relay this information to the ground.
The Mission Control Station, located at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, will integrate SBIRS-High with the rest of the MDA’s Ballistic Missile Defense System, most notably the Space Tracking and Surveillance System. MCS will replace the three existing DSP control centers. Once operational, it will be able to warn the Pentagon of enemy missile launches almost twice as fast as DSP.
Despite the myriad advantages of SBIRS-High, the program is currently experiencing cost overruns and scheduling delays. In 2001, the Pentagon reported to Congress that SBIRS-High was in violation of the Nunn-McCurdy law, which outlines specific guidelines for defense programs that exceed initial cost estimates by more than 25 percent. In 2002, SBIRS-High was restructured to address the specific problems that led to the Nunn-McCurdy breach, but cost overruns and scheduling delays still hamper the program. According to the Air Force, SBIRS-High will run approximately $1 billion over budget through 2013. This raises the total cost of the program to nearly $10 billion.
All the same, Congress remains supportive of SBIRS-High and its essential role in U.S. ballistic missile defense. In May 2004, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees each added $35 million to the program. The first SBIRS-High satellite launch is currently scheduled for 2007.
Sources
Butler, Amy. “SBIRS High Needs Another $1 Billion, Raising Total Closer To $10 Billion Mark.” C4I News, 29 April 2004.
Di Pasquale, Cynthia. “Senate Armed Services Shows Strong Support For Space Programs.” Inside the Air Force, 14 May 2004.
Federation of American Scientists.
Gambrell, Kathy. “SBIRS-High To Launch In 2007, Teets Says.” Aerospace Daily, 26 February 2004.
Kenyon, Henry S. “Restructured Satellite Program Aims for Liftoff.” Signal, 1 March 2004.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, SBIRS-High Description.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, SBIRS-High Press Release, 7 January 2002.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, SBIRS-High Press Release, 18 June 2001.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, SBIRS-High Press Release, 10 September 2001.
Perera, David. “Air Force Confirms SBIRS High Cost Growth, Satellite Launch Delays.” Homeland Defense Watch, 3 May 2004.
Spaceflight Now.
Selinger, Marc. “SBIRS-High Cost Estimate May Rise Again.” Aerospace Daily, 27 February 2004.
Smith, Marcia S. “Military Space Programs: Issues Concerning DOD’s SBIRS and STSS Programs.” Congressional Research Service, Report No. RS21148, 3 November 2003.
U.S. General Accounting Office. “Defense Acquisitions: Despite Restructuring, SBIRS High Program Remains At Risk Of Cost And Schedule Overruns.” GAO-04-48, 31 October 2003.
Raytheon to Design Alternative Missile Warning Satellite
Raytheon has won a $54 million contract to develop the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS), an alternative missile warning system to Lockheed Martin’s Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). The Pentagon decided to launch the AIRSS program because of recurring difficulties with SBIRS, a $10 billion effort that has been plagued by cost overruns, schedule delays, and poor government management. SBIRS was restructured last December, although the system could be delayed to save money. Current plans call for the Pentagon to weigh the alternative system against the main project in 2008.
» More stories on: Detection and Tracking
» Missile system details for: Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)
Pentagon May Delay SBIRS to Trim Budget
The Pentagon may delay deployment of the third geosynchronous satellite for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program due to budget constraints. SBIRS is intended as a constellation of high-orbiting infrared satellites designed to detect and track ballistic missiles of all sizes. It would include three large satellites that would circle the earth in high geosynchronous orbit, looking for missile launches and other threats. Each satellite would cover about a third of the earth’s surface, with additional help from two smaller polar-orbiting satellites and ground systems. In addition to their primary mission of detecting missile launches, the SBIRS satellites would also have sensors to track moving targets and perform a range of other duties for intelligence analysts and battlefield commanders. SBIRS would replace the aging Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, which have provided early missile warning information for over 30 years.
Despite the program’s necessity, SBIRS is now considered a “prime target” as the Pentagon assembles its budget proposal for fiscal year 2008. To make room for more fighters and tankers, the U.S. Air Force may be forced to postpone purchasing the third SBIRS satellite. If the Air Force delays the third SBIRS satellite, it could potentially eliminate about $320 million from its FY 2008 plans and postpone about $1.3 billion in near-term follow-on funding, says defense analyst Jim McAleese of McAleese and Associates, a Washington-area government contracting law firm. Baseline SBIRS research funding on $700 million would probably continue, but purchases and deployments would be postponed, perhaps indefinitely. “The war on terror has significantly changed this administration’s focus on space. The levels of space funding growth that we initially anticipated at the beginning of Donald Rumsfeld’s tenure are not achievable,” McAleese said.
» More stories on: Budget, Policy
» Missile system details for: Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)
Lockheed Martin Completes SBIRS Software Component
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.
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Defense Support Program (DSP), Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)
SBIRS Profiled
The Space Based Infrared System High program, critical to detecting and tracking ballistic missile launches for any interception attempt, is profiled by Defense News.
The SBIRS High program will consist of four satellites, placed at geostationary orbits, monitoring the surface for heat indicative of explosions or a missile launch. The program has faced considerable delays, funding problems, and opposition, but the first satellite is scheduled for launch in 2007. The SBIRS program is said to be 60% faster and twice as accurate as the existing Defense Support Program satellites, of which there are 22, currently in operation, and will serve a broader number of purposes.
» More stories on: Space-Based Systems, Detection and Tracking
» Missile system details for: Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)
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