Highlight Streak Of Successful Launches, Need For GPS III
Aero-News has learned three senior
leaders provided testimony on national security space activities
before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee March
23.
The Honorable Dr. Ronald M. Sega, under secretary of the Air
Force, Dr. Donald Kerr, director of the National Reconnaissance
Office, and Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of Air Force Space
Command, appeared before members of Congress to discuss the current
US space posture. Dr. Sega made a point to highlight the continued
importance of space capabilities.
"The US relies upon space capabilities not only to meet the
needs of joint operations worldwide, but to support our nation's
diplomatic, informational and economic efforts as well," he
said.
"We've had several achievements across the (Department of
Defense) space portfolio in the last year," said Dr. Sega. "On
March 8, we accomplished our 50th consecutive, successful
operational launch -- a national record. We made significant
progress on the Space Based Infrared System, SBIRS. The first
highly elliptical orbit SBIRS payload was successfully launched
last year and has met or exceeded all on-orbit performance
expectations.
"We also launched our first in a series of Operationally
Responsive Space tactical satellite experiments, TacSat-2, in
December 2006," he said. "In the last year, we've launched eight
space test program missions, with a total of 17 Space Experiments
Review Board experiments, with four more missions planned this
fiscal year."
Dr. Sega also briefed the committee on the progress of space
programs under his three priority areas: integration across
national security space, "back to basics" and the block approach in
space acquisition, and the importance of ensuring the vitality and
proficiency of space professionals and the science and engineering
workforce.
"I'm pleased to say we've made progress in all these areas, and
are starting to see benefits of this approach," he said. "I'd also
like to highlight that we're working very hard to ensure continuity
of service in our key capabilities, including missile warning,
strategic communications, and position, navigation and timing.
"The 'back to basics' approach is focused on mission success in
our space acquisition programs," he said. "We bring technologies on
as they're more mature, so acquisition cycle time should be
reduced, and the cost and schedule risk is reduced."
Dr. Sega provided the example of next-generation global
positioning system as how the block approach works.
"The GPS IIIA satellite
will go beyond current capabilities of GPS II, and provide a growth
path forward for future blocks of GPS IIIB and IIIC, in subsequent
increments," he said.
The importance of interagency integration and collaboration
across the space arena was another key topic in Dr. Sega's
testimony.
"Our goal is to create partnerships within the space community,
which we believe are essential to delivering requirements on cost
and on schedule, ensuring appropriate funding stability," he
said.
Additionally, the officials addressed the committee's concerns
about the need for increased space situational awareness, and the
protection of space assets from potential threats.
Of particular interest to the committee was China's Jan. 11
launch of a direct-ascent, kinetic anti-satellite weapon that
destroyed an inactive Chinese weather satellite. The ASAT test
produced more than 1,000 pieces of debris, which could increase the
likelihood of interference with space assets in low earth
orbit.
"Before we can talk about providing space protection, we need to
understand what's going on up there," General Chilton said. "We
need to have the tools in place to establish what's being launched,
what the capabilities are, the intent, and ultimately
attribution.
"Once we have attribution, we can determine the options the US
government has to deter, dissuade or stop someone if they've
started doing these types of things," he said. "As a result of the
Chinese ASAT testing, and since we were able to attribute (the
launch) to them, China is receiving diplomatic pressure from around
the world. There are tools available outside the military, such as
diplomatic pressure, that are available for our country to use; but
without attribution, you can't use a single one of them."
From Operation Desert Storm to the war on terrorism, combat
operations are very dependent on space capabilities, General
Chilton said. It is critical to position, navigation and timing,
communications, and real-time intelligence.
"I think we're on the right track," General Chilton said. "We
are chartered not only to look at how we support today's fight, but
also we have to look to the future as well."
(Aero-News salutes Staff Sgt. Monique Randolph, Secretary of
the Air Force Public Affairs)