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.
Military Space Programs: Issues Concerning DOD's SBIRS and STSS Programs
2005
7 pages
Report
No indication
English
Antimissile Defense Systems , Military Operations, Strategy, & Tactics , Unmanned Spacecraft , Artificial satellites , Guided missile defense systems , Military operations , Department of defense , Military commanders , Early warning systems , Guided missile tracking systems , Space surveillance , Target discrimination , Stss(Space tracking and surveillance system)