Posted on 10/29/2017 5:59:31 AM PDT by Elderberry
The Army's Kestrel Eye microsatellite holds the promise of providing tactical imagery to soldiers on the ground.
WASHINGTON — It’s been years in the making. A very small, low cost, visible imagery satellite that soldiers in the field will be able to control, giving them access to real-time intelligence.
The U.S. Army’s Kestrel Eye microsatellite was deployed into space from the International Space Station and activated Tuesday at 05:45 am EST.
If all goes as planned, the 110-pound spacecraft could become a catalyst for broader adoption of small satellites for military missions.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Alabama, is leading the effort. SMDC spokesman Cecil Longino said Kestrel Eye will undergo “stabilization and technical checkout processes” for the next eight weeks. Next will be an “independent user evaluation” to be led by U.S. Pacific Command, Longino told SpaceNews.
“Kestrel Eye is a technology demonstrator, but it holds the promise of providing tactical imagery to the soldier on the ground, and to do it responsively, persistently and reliably,” John London III, the command’s space and strategic systems directorate chief engineer said Wednesday in an Army news release. He noted that, for the first time, tactical commanders at the brigade level or lower would be empowered to control the entire imagery process from end-to-end, from the tasking of the satellite to the dissemination of the data.
The small satellite capability is significant because it would be far more responsive than traditional systems. Soldiers could access 1.5-meter resolution satellite imagery within minutes.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacenews.com ...
Deployed from the Space Station.... was there a second pipe back to the Russians?
Years ago a group in the Air Force wanted to launch a small satellite. They had something like four million dollars to work with. They approached NASA and the officials there laughed. One said, “Four million? We can’t do a design study for that.” The AF ended doing the entire thing in house and on budget.
In general, government can’t do small projects like that one. Too many people are interested, not in the project, but in credit or directing money to their agenda. Few people know that before the Wright brothers, the government was attempting manned flight. The government spent a fortune, compared to what the Wright brothers spent. Weeks before the Wright brothers flew the government contractor, Langley, declared manned flight to be impossible.
As opposed to a drone?
If a drone isn't already flying in the area, how long would it take to request one to support a soldier in the field?
The small satellite capability is significant because it would be far more responsive than traditional systems. Soldiers could access 1.5-meter resolution satellite imagery within minutes.
How many drones can be built, deployed, and “lost” for the amount of one satellite launch.
The space folks are wanting job security.
Go for the drone.
Maybe our little satellite is looking down on the opponents own drones in the target area?
Satellites don't hover or fly "racetrack" patterns. And if you really want 1.5 meter resolution from a small imaging satellite, you have to fly in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) where your viewing access to any patch of ground is a maximum of 12-15 minutes at a pop--and then the satellite goes "over the hill." If you want persistence over an AO, you can either: (a) Build a huge telescope and put it in a higher orbit or (b) Build a large number of small satellites.
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