Ballistic Missile Defense System Space Programs

Abstract

Spacebased Kill Assessment (SKA): The SKA project will deliver hit and kill assessment from space. MDA Missile Defense System (MDS) intercept testing experience provided a solid understanding of kill assessment physics to enable exploration of this critical capability. 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 favorable cost and schedule performance on SKA is also consistent with the GAO's assessment of commercially hosted payload programs (report number GAO-18-493). The SKA experiment utilizes a network of small Infrared (IR) sensors integrated onto commercial host satellites that while on orbit observe missile defense intercepts and deliver hit and kill assessment declarations to the MDS. After successful participation in MDS Flight Tests in FY 2019, the MDA Director made the decision to transition SKA to an operational element of the MDS. HBTSS: The HBTSS, formerly known as the Space Sensor Layer (SSL), is a missile defense sensor which is part of the USD(R&E) Space Sensor Layer (SSL) which is a department-wide effort led by the Space Development Agency (SDA). This multi-tiered architecture will consist of systems in different orbits that provide an integrated capability to meet critical warfighter requirements in a contested space environment. HBTSS will execute the Defense Planning Guidance (DPG), Missile Defense Review (MDR), and FY19 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) guidance to provide this space tracking sensor capability. This program will develop prototype space sensors to prove out the capability to detect and track hypersonic threats and boosting conventional ballistic missiles. The HBTSS prototype sensors will launch and demonstrate the ability to detect hypersonic and missile threats in a high clutter environment. Beginning in FY 2021, in accordance with Department decisions, funding responsibility has transferred from MDA to SDA for continued HBTSS development efforts. This PE also funds Cybersecurity efforts necessary to support BMDS Space Programs.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2021
• Source ID: 1206895C_4_0400_PB_2021
• Change Summary Explanation: Increase in FY 2020 reflects the Congressional plus ups for development of the missile defense Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) and for investment in MDS RDT&E mission support systems to increase protection of critical MDS data/knowledge capital. Increase in FY 2021 provides for development to operationalize the Spacebased Kill Assessment with development of ground testing capability, continued hit kill algorithm maturation, deployment of an operationalized Payload Operations Center to support the warfighter by providing an initial real-time hit assessment capability.
• Service Agency Name: Missile Defense Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Missile Defense Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Cyber
• Materials and Manufacturing Processes
• Sensors
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Force
• Ballistic Missiles
• Command And Control
• Contracts
• Cost Analysis
• Cybersecurity
• Data Processing
• Defense Systems
• Engineering
• Industrial Production
• Information Systems
• Military Research
• National Security
• Procurement
• Spacecraft
• United States Strategic Command

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• Cyber
• Hypersonics
• Space
• Space - Satellites
• Space - Space Objects