In the late 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower divided control of America's space program into three parts: National Aeronautics and Space Administration civil efforts; unclassified defense communications, navigation, and early warning programs; and classified Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) projects later incorporated into the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). In the 1960s, commercial interests joined America's space community with the launch of privately funded, produced, and managed for-profit communications satellites; commercial imaging satellites followed later. Although these four sectors (classified, unclassified, commercial, and civil) remain to this day, America's increasing reliance on space has largely removed the lines that have traditionally separated these distinct aspects of America's space community. Less than a decade into the 21st century, the interdependencies between them are clear, as well as the need to consider the parts of America's space program as a unified whole. The level of interconnectivity and interdependency has increased to the point where actions in one sector can conceivably affect all aspects of America's space enterprise. As a result, today America's concept of national security space no longer encompasses only classified and unclassified DoD and IC space systems; it includes all forms of space systems, as well as a growing use of foreign space capabilities.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite