Author: Summer Myatt|| Date Published: May 11, 2022
Space-based missile tracking has become a top priority for U.S. space agencies as global adversaries’ use of hypersonic and long-range missiles continues to skyrocket, posing a significant threat to national security.
Countries like China, North Korea and others have been building and testing an increasing amount of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, in recent months, raising concern for U.S. military leaders.
Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear said the future of space defense will be all about “missile warning, missile tracking, missile defense,” as the agency’s buildout of an extensive satellite network accelerates.
“After we develop and field the operational missile warning/missile tracking constellations, we will be fielding the missile defense systems, which are able to do the actual fire-control quality [data] from space—so we can send those down directly to interceptors,” said Dr. Tournear, a Wash100 Award winner, during the recent 2022 Space Symposium.
Compared to other global powers, though, the U.S. is playing catch-up in hypersonics. Currently, SDA doesn’t expect to launch its Tranche 1 tracking layer, composed of 28 missile-tracking satellites, into low-Earth orbit until Apr. 30, 2025. This much-anticipated constellation will finally give the U.S. the ability to track hypersonic weapons for the first time.
Join the summit to hear from Tournear and other prominent space leaders, like Gen. James Dickinson, commander of the U.S. Space Command. Click here to register.
The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific is soliciting proposals for the development and fielding of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems…
The Department of War is accelerating its push into unmanned systems, moving beyond experimentation toward large-scale production, streamlined acquisition and…
BAE Systems has received a $117.7 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to support depot-level modernization, maintenance and repair of USS…
Advanced wireless infrastructure is becoming as strategically important as artificial intelligence in modern defense operations 5G standalone enables network slicing,…
