Space Based Radar Program Seeks New Life

Acting Air Force Secretary Peter Teets announced the service will propose an "early demonstration" of the Space Based Radar (SBR) concept, a program to develop a constellation of satellites capable of tracking and identifying moving ground targets from space. Congress has twice rejected the program since 2000, and the Pentagon's third attempt will aim to bring it forward in a more clear, affordable, and crisp way. The demonstration satellite's target mission is to prove that a small SBR can collect both tactical and strategic intelligence. The Air Force has already awarded separate contracts worth $220 million to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for research work.

Key Takeaways:

The Space Based Radar (SBR) program aims to develop a constellation of satellites to track and identify moving ground targets from space.
Congress has twice rejected the program since 2000, and the Pentagon's third attempt will propose an "early demonstration" of the SBR concept.
The demonstration satellite's target mission is to prove that a small SBR can collect both tactical and strategic intelligence.
The Air Force is funding SBR research work under separate $220 million contracts with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman teams.
The program requires joint funding between the DoD budget and the intelligence community's National Foreign Intelligence Program.
Integrating SBR with airborne assets, such as the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft, is also a key goal of the demonstration and later, the constellation.
The Air Force's top leadership supports the program, and the Pentagon's budget decision No. 753 boosted funding for SBR and set a 2015 goal for launch of the first satellite.
Acting Air Force Secretary Peter Teets threw out a target date of 2008 for the demonstration satellite, but this date is not firm and will be refined in the future.

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