Ballistic Missile Defense System Space Programs

Abstract

This program element primarily funds the Spacebased Kill Assessment (SKA) project, a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) experiment to demonstrate kill assessment from space. MDA experience with intercept testing on the Aegis BMD program provided solid understanding of the physics of kill assessment. Several events set the stage for the kill assessment experiment that later became known as SKA: - Section 237 in the FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act directed MDA to improve kill assessment for the GMD program with an initial kill assessment capability by December 31, 2019 - An MDA study called the Space Layer Option Study found that disaggregated systems could provide sensor capabilities at lower costs - A once in a decade opportunity became available when the commercial sector offered hosted payload services at costs far below what MDA could expect if it used traditional DOD space acquisition models One feature of the SKA acquisition plays a crucial role in the execution of the experiment: schedule discipline. Since MDA cannot impact the schedule of the commercial host, maintaining schedule pace is priority #1 on the program. If SKA payloads are delivered late to the commercial host, they miss their opportunity to be launched into space. SKA incorporates Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations to examine the operational feasibility of disaggregating large satellites (report number GAO-15-7) and to provide data for the business case for shared or dedicated satellite control, including the ground antenna networks (report number GAO-13-315). The SKA experiment will utilize a network of small IR sensors integrated onto commercial host satellites which, while on orbit, will observe missile defense intercepts and deliver a kill assessment declaration to the BMDS. SKA has the opportunity to change the economics of the defense of the American homeland from enemy ballistic missiles. This program element also funds engineering trade studies and concept evaluations for current and future space based sensors.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2018
• Source ID: 0603895C_4_0400_PB_2018
• Change Summary Explanation: In accordance with the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 1601-Major Force Program and Budget for National Security Space Programs, funding for FY2018 and beyond was transferred to PE 1206895C. This move aligns funding to the newly established unified major force program for national security space programs to prioritize national security space activities in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Defense and national security.
• Service Agency Name: Missile Defense Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Missile Defense Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Cyber
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Ballistic Missiles
• Commerce
• Contracts
• Cost Analysis
• Defense Systems
• Department Of Defense
• Deployment
• Detectors
• Engineering
• Homeland Defense
• Information Assurance
• National Security
• Product Development
• Security
• Simulations
• Test And Evaluation

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Defense Acquisition Program Management
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• Space
• Space - Satellites