Satellite Control: Long-Term Planning and Adoption of Commercial Practices Could Improve DOD's Operations
Abstract
DoD manages the nation's defense satellites, which are worth at least $13.7 billion, via ground stations located around the world. These ground stations and supporting infrastructure perform three primary functions: monitoring the health of the satellite; ensuring it stays in its proper orbit (activities collectively known as satellite control operations); and planning, monitoring, and controlling the execution of the overall mission of the satellite. Based on the House Armed Services Committee Report and discussions with defense committee staff, GAO did the following: (1) reviewed the Air Force's satellite control operations to assess the potential for fragmentation or duplication, (2) assessed the status of modernization efforts, (3) identified any commercial practices that could improve the Air Force's satellite control operations, and (4) identified any barriers to implementing them. GAO reviewed modernization funding documents and related studies and interviewed DoD and 7 commercial satellite companies that had satellite capabilities. GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense direct future DoD satellite acquisition programs to determine a business case for proceeding with either a dedicated or shared network for that program's satellite control operations, develop a department-wide long-term plan for modernizing its Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) and any future shared networks, and implement commercial practices to improve DoD satellite control networks. DoD concurred with our recommendations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA577279
Entities
People
- Angela Pleasants
- Arthur Gallegos
- Cristina T. Chaplain
- Danielle Greene
- Ioan Ifrim
- Laura Hook
- Maricela Cherveny
- Marie P. Ahearn
- Roxanna T. Sun
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office