2018 a Big Year of Transition for Military Space

space.com ^ | 01/08/2018 | Sandra Erwin, Space News

[BenLurkin]

A laundry list of provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act will reshape the military space chain of command and oversight of programs. Pentagon and Air Force officials are still grappling with the full extent of the reforms, the most significant of which is the removal of the role of principal Defense Department space adviser from the secretary of the Air Force.

"A lot of people focused on the fact that Mike Rogers' idea for a space corps didn't happen, and they missed that a lot of reform did go into this bill," Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee told SpaceNews....

Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, has been a longtime proponent of creating a space corps within the Air Force with a separate chain of command. The plan was approved by the House but didn't make it past the Senate.

Smith said Rogers and other members of the HASC have not given up on the idea. "It is a big enough issue that it deserves that level of attention," he said. "I think logically, eventually, we will get to a space corps," Smith insisted. "The only reason we didn't get there this year is because the Senate wasn't fully briefed, and they weren't really on board." The space corps will get another chance, said Smith. "We will push it again."

In the 2018 NDAA, Congress weakened the Air Force secretary's power to set military space priorities and influence programs. It directs the deputy secretary of defense to figure out an alternative to the PDSA position established under the Obama administration. The first principal DoD space advisor was former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. Current Secretary Heather Wilson remains in that role until a new arrangement is put in place.

[marktwain]

He who controls space, particularly near earth orbit, effectively controls the earth.

[PIF]

He who controls space, particularly near earth orbit, effectively controls the Earth.

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He who controls the Lagrange points controls he who controls LEO;
He who controls the Moon controls all.

[ichabod1]

Space supremacy would be difficult to achieve wouldn’t it?

[marktwain]

Space supremacy would be difficult to achieve wouldn’t it?

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For a while, we had space supremacy. Then we gave it away.

Most players in space have very limited capacity. If we worked at it, we could dominate space.

Just the information from space based assets is an enormous force multiplier. Add in the ability to strike from space, and ground based forces are at a severe disadvantage.

Control of space also controls GPS systems, with all their ability to provide precise aiming, navigation, and striking with weapons systems.

[Ozark Tom]

A constellation of thousands of LEO satellites providing internet and cellphone service could enhance other capabilities. The launch ability to support the numbers needed for achieving global service will be available in the near future. The advanced heavy-lift launch vehicles will drastically lower the cost to orbit.

Fielding certain systems always required massive orbital launch capacity. Much like the impediment to launching Solar Power Satellites from the Earth, the cost factor for orbital operations likewise limited consideration for deployment of high tonnage systems as too-costly to attain Congressional approval. A sufficient quantity for coverage would need be emplaced to achieve credibility. At 24,000 pounds per device, the cost of $240 million per item was considered excessive in the Bush 43 era, for operational deployment.

An operational Falcon Heavy is proposed to drop cost to LEO to $1700 per kilogram (2.2 pound) rather than the (2014 bid) $4640 for Falcon. The next near competitor, Delta IV of the ULA, charged $17,400 per kG as of the 2014 bidding. $140 per kilogram or $65-$70 per pound delivered to orbit, appears in reach per the SpaceX BFG system proposed for the early 2020’s.