Space Alert

The U.S. military plans to have an initial space sensor layer operational as soon as fiscal year 2022 -- a new capability that will begin to close a blind spot in today's sensor network by giving commanders the ability to continuously track hypersonic boost glide weapons as well as long-range ballistic missiles from launch to impact.

The Air Force's new Space Fence radar system is demonstrating the ability to track significantly more small objects in space, but a new report from the Pentagon's top weapons tester concludes that until the service secures a second radar site, the system will not have the power to "continuously track and maintain awareness of these small objects.

The Air Force today delivered to Congress its plan for the organizational structure of the Space Force, outlining "clean sheet" plans to stand up a lean, agile service.

The Pentagon's top weapons tester continues to push for greater investment in threat-representative space testing infrastructure, writing in his most recent report that the Defense Department should invest at least $100 million per year over the next five years in improving space threat emulation.

The Air Force this week selected Raytheon to develop a data processing framework for its Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared ground system -- an effort the company hopes will provide a pathway to future satellite ground services work.

As the Air Force readies a new space acquisition and integration office, one of its early efforts is to identify roles and responsibilities for existing organizations that develop space capabilities, including the Space Development Agency, the Space Rapid Capabilities Office and the Space and Missile Systems Center.

Nearly a year after it was created, the Space Development Agency is today beginning its work in earnest by asking industry to propose a wide range of "good enough" systems, technologies and capabilities that "enable leap-ahead improvements" that can be rapidly put on orbit in two-year tranches beginning in fiscal year 2022 in order to begin fleshing out a new National Defense Space Architecture.

The Defense Department owes lawmakers a report next year on how to integrate Navy and Army space capabilities into the new Space Force, but the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the department needs to move faster.

The Space and Missile Systems Center has developed an initial roadmap for transitioning space programs to a new Enterprise Ground Services architecture by 2028.