Military Space Programs: Issues Concerning DOD's SBIRS and STSS Programs

Abstract

The Department of Defense's (DOD's) programs to develop new satellites to alert U.S. military commanders to foreign missile launches, and to support missile defense objectives, are controversial because of cost growth and schedule slippage. SBIRS-High, managed by the Air Force, would replace existing Defense Support Program "early warning" satellites. The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS, formerly SBIRS-Low), managed by the Missile Defense Agency, would perform missile tracking and target discrimination for missile defense objectives. The SBIRS-High program has breached Nunn-McCurdy cost growth thresholds three times since 2002, most recently in March 2005.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 22, 2005
Accession Number
ADA472578

Entities

People

  • Marcia S. Smith

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Apogees
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Contracts
  • Cost Estimates
  • Defense Systems
  • Detectors
  • Early Warning Systems
  • Earth Orbits
  • Elliptical Orbits
  • Geosynchronous Orbits
  • Geosynchronous Satellites
  • Ground Based
  • Reconnaissance Satellites
  • Space Systems
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites