J
Joe S.
Guest
The Bush junta is doing a heckuva job with space reconnaissance. And these
are the people who want to protect us with a "Star Wars" missile defense
system.
QUOTE
U.S. spy satellite declared loss, to drop from orbit
By Andrea Shalal-EsaThu Aug 2, 8:24 PM ET
The National Reconnaissance Office has deemed an experimental U.S. spy
satellite a total loss and will allow it to slowly drop from orbit and burn
up in the atmosphere, two defense officials told Reuters this week.
The classified L-21, built by Lockheed Martin Corp at a cost of hundreds of
millions of dollars, was launched on December 14 but has been out of touch
since reaching its low-earth orbit, put by satellite watchers at about 220
miles above the earth.
It will now gradually fall out of orbit over the coming decades, said the
officials, who asked not to be named. At some later date, it will burn up as
it enters the earth's atmosphere, posing no danger to people below, they
said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon will likely now have to test aspects of new
technologies that were on the L-21 by piggybacking them onto other
satellites over the next four to five years, the officials said.
For instance, the military could put the new sensors aboard TacSat 3, the
latest in a series of smaller satellites, when it launches later this year.
The NRO could still try to build a new spacecraft to test the technology,
but it would take several years to get the funding for such a satellite and
build it, one official said.
The two officials declined to identify what exactly the experimental
Lockheed satellite was meant to test, but said its failure was troubling,
given that other countries were rapidly plowing ahead with development and
launch of new capabilities, especially in the area of synthetic aperture
radars.
Synthetic aperture radars offer high-resolution and can pierce darkness and
thick clouds to identify targets, even peering below the surface of the
ground or peeking into foliage that might obstruct the view of photo-based
sensors.
One official said Germany in June launched TerraSAR-X, a sophisticated new
satellite armed with a synthetic aperture radar that analysts say marks the
start of a new level of quality in the mapping of the earth.
Canada is also working on this technology.
The NRO, which designs, builds and operates reconnaissance satellites for
the U.S. military and intelligence communities, declined to comment, as did
Lockheed.
RUNAWAY COSTS, DELAYS
The failure of the L-21 comes amid a spate of issues with other NRO and
military satellites, and as the Pentagon tries to rein in runaway costs and
schedule delays on space programs.
NRO Director Donald Kerr, nominated to be principal deputy director of
national intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday
that he recommended ending two multibillion-dollar classified intelligence
programs because they could not be successfully completed.
Kerr said one of the contractors had been put on "a watch list," and could
only bid on new work if granted a waiver.
He did not name the programs or companies involved, but said he told the
contractor on the list it could be removed only when it showed that it could
build hardware that worked.
Analysts and one official familiar with the issue said Kerr was referring to
a major revamp of the Future Imagery Architecture program, initially run by
Boeing Co, and a Lockheed satellite program dubbed "Misty." The official
said the company on the watchlist was Boeing.
Boeing declined to comment.
Separately, two U.S. military satellites used to monitor ship movements
failed to reach their correct orbit when they were launched several months
ago aboard an Atlas V rocket.
Officials are now trying to "nudge" the satellites into the correct orbit by
using small amounts of the fuel onboard, but the effort is still ongoing,
one defense official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070803...1&printer=1;_ylt=AlB0WeecOrlRNg28SQdOxd9g.3QA
END QUOTE
are the people who want to protect us with a "Star Wars" missile defense
system.
QUOTE
U.S. spy satellite declared loss, to drop from orbit
By Andrea Shalal-EsaThu Aug 2, 8:24 PM ET
The National Reconnaissance Office has deemed an experimental U.S. spy
satellite a total loss and will allow it to slowly drop from orbit and burn
up in the atmosphere, two defense officials told Reuters this week.
The classified L-21, built by Lockheed Martin Corp at a cost of hundreds of
millions of dollars, was launched on December 14 but has been out of touch
since reaching its low-earth orbit, put by satellite watchers at about 220
miles above the earth.
It will now gradually fall out of orbit over the coming decades, said the
officials, who asked not to be named. At some later date, it will burn up as
it enters the earth's atmosphere, posing no danger to people below, they
said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon will likely now have to test aspects of new
technologies that were on the L-21 by piggybacking them onto other
satellites over the next four to five years, the officials said.
For instance, the military could put the new sensors aboard TacSat 3, the
latest in a series of smaller satellites, when it launches later this year.
The NRO could still try to build a new spacecraft to test the technology,
but it would take several years to get the funding for such a satellite and
build it, one official said.
The two officials declined to identify what exactly the experimental
Lockheed satellite was meant to test, but said its failure was troubling,
given that other countries were rapidly plowing ahead with development and
launch of new capabilities, especially in the area of synthetic aperture
radars.
Synthetic aperture radars offer high-resolution and can pierce darkness and
thick clouds to identify targets, even peering below the surface of the
ground or peeking into foliage that might obstruct the view of photo-based
sensors.
One official said Germany in June launched TerraSAR-X, a sophisticated new
satellite armed with a synthetic aperture radar that analysts say marks the
start of a new level of quality in the mapping of the earth.
Canada is also working on this technology.
The NRO, which designs, builds and operates reconnaissance satellites for
the U.S. military and intelligence communities, declined to comment, as did
Lockheed.
RUNAWAY COSTS, DELAYS
The failure of the L-21 comes amid a spate of issues with other NRO and
military satellites, and as the Pentagon tries to rein in runaway costs and
schedule delays on space programs.
NRO Director Donald Kerr, nominated to be principal deputy director of
national intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday
that he recommended ending two multibillion-dollar classified intelligence
programs because they could not be successfully completed.
Kerr said one of the contractors had been put on "a watch list," and could
only bid on new work if granted a waiver.
He did not name the programs or companies involved, but said he told the
contractor on the list it could be removed only when it showed that it could
build hardware that worked.
Analysts and one official familiar with the issue said Kerr was referring to
a major revamp of the Future Imagery Architecture program, initially run by
Boeing Co, and a Lockheed satellite program dubbed "Misty." The official
said the company on the watchlist was Boeing.
Boeing declined to comment.
Separately, two U.S. military satellites used to monitor ship movements
failed to reach their correct orbit when they were launched several months
ago aboard an Atlas V rocket.
Officials are now trying to "nudge" the satellites into the correct orbit by
using small amounts of the fuel onboard, but the effort is still ongoing,
one defense official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070803...1&printer=1;_ylt=AlB0WeecOrlRNg28SQdOxd9g.3QA
END QUOTE
