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. The Missile Defense Tracking System (MTS) program will provide the Warfighter with persistent sensor capabilities for detection of ballistic missiles as well as future threats. The goal is to rapidly acquire a satellite tracking system using proven technologies and innovative acquisition approaches and partnerships. FY 2018 MISSILE DEFEAT AND DEFENSE ENHANCEMENTS (MDDE) BUDGET AMENDMENT: +$14.000M is required to address emergency warfighting readiness requirements to ensure readiness of the BMDS. +$14.000M Project MD33 - MD Space Exp Center (MDSEC): required to continued trade studies, system engineering, modeling and simulations, and a prototype design for a potential missile tracking sensor/system. This is a base budget requirement.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2019
• Source ID: 1206895C_4_0400_PB_2019
• Change Summary Explanation: Increase in FY 2019 supports efforts associated with SKA transition to operations FY 2018 MISSILE DEFEAT AND DEFENSE ENHANCEMENTS (MDDE) BUDGET AMENDMENT: +$14.000 million is required to address warfighting requirements in support of continued trade studies, system engineering, modeling and simulations, and a prototype design for a potential missile tracking sensor/system.
• Service Agency Name: Missile Defense Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Missile Defense Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Cyber
• Sensors
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Force
• Ballistic Missiles
• Commerce
• Contracts
• Cost Analysis
• Defense Systems
• Department Of Defense
• Deployment
• Detection
• Detectors
• Engineering
• Homeland Defense
• National Security
• Security
• Simulations
• Space Based

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• Space
• Space - Satellites