SeeMe
Abstract
The Army, Air Force, intelligence community, and other potential users require affordable support to the tactical warfighter via space. The goal of the SeeMe program is to demonstrate the ability to get near-real-time, i.e., no older than ~90 minutes, images directly to individual users' handheld devices from space. This will be accomplished via a very low cost constellation of inexpensive, disposable small satellites routinely and inexpensively put in orbit through low cost horizontal (aircraft-released) launches. The current methodology for satisfying imagery needs from space is to build multipurpose systems with very high reliability and long life, at very high costs, and launch them on expensive vertical launch boosters. In most cases, commercial or military, the time to deliver an already built space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system suitable to meet tactically desired ground sample distance is on the order of 20+ months, and the data delivery mechanism is typically more than several days (and up to weeks) to the end user. SeeMe intends to radically shorten the entire cycle: ground development time, launch cadence, and on-orbit request-to-image-delivery time through new satellite manufacturing techniques, advanced low-cost aperture technologies, leveraging alternative launch concepts, and a novel direct-to-user command and data exfiltration architecture. The anticipated transition partners are the Air Force and the Army.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2015
- Source ID
- 650f003b067b993ffca9753b13583244