Sentinels Rising. Commercial High-Resolution Satellite Imagery and Its Implications for US National Security
Abstract
On 24 December 1997, at the Svobodnyy Cosmodrome situated in a far corner of eastern Siberia, a modified Russian SS-25 intercontinental ballistic missile arched skyward, but rather than the single thermonuclear weapon it was originally designed to deliver, it carried a peculiar cargo--a US-made imaging satellite. The owner of the satellite, EarthWatch, Inc. of Longmont, Colorado, contracted with Russia to boost its EarlyBird spacecraft into polar orbit using a Start-1 space launch vehicle. As the first of an entirely new generation of high-resolution commercial imaging satellites, EarlyBird 1 was postured to make history. Unfortunately, soon after the satellite settled into its low-Earth orbit(LEO), a problem developed with its communications system that has prevented EarthWatch from issuing commands to the satellite, and EarlyBird 1 is nonoperational. The false start of the first EarlyBird 1 satellite marked a rather inauspicious beginning to what the commercial remote-sensing industry hopes will quickly become a thriving, multibillion dollar market in the years ahead. Private remote-sensing firms are racing to get their high-resolution imagery satellites into orbit and imagery into the hands of consumers. Despite the daunting technical and financial risks, industry watchers predict that by mid-2001, over 30 satellites will be in orbit around the Earth using affordable technologies to provide volumes of imagery to an international clientele with fidelity previously unobtainable by the general public. No longer will the United States and the former Soviet Un ion enjoy their hegemony over satellite imaging of the Earth. Instead, they must share their vantage point of Earth from the ultimate "high ground" with other nations as a fleet of mercantile sentinels rises to provide high resolution imagery to customers around the world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA529857
Entities
People
- Larry K. Grundhauser
Organizations
- Air University