Free Republic

Okay, “fired” probably isn’t the technical term for it. The worker in question actually submitted his resignation. But do we really think this was a decision he arrived at on his own? Unlikely at best. But the Washington Post reports that the letter of resignation was accepted by the boss and he’s no longer working there. (I’ll repeat the fact that we don’t actually know the worker’s gender, but I’m going with “he” by default. My apologies if this turns out to be a woman.)But there’s another, somewhat more disturbing angle to this story, which started out as terrifying but...

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the new Space Based Infrared System GEO Flight 4 satellite for the U.S. Air Force at 7:52 p.m. EST (0052 GMT). The mission has a 40-minute launch window.

The US Air Force Research Laboratory has picked the candidates for its next major spaceflight experiment. And the nominees are...AMWSE, the Advanced Missile Warning Sensors Experiment; and AXOIM, the Advanced Experiment in Orbital Manipulation. AFRL plans to solicit proposals for AMWSE and AXIOM via a broad area announcement to be released in three to six months, and to select one or both concepts to be built and flown. AMWSE will characterize space-based missile warning sensor technologies. AXOIM will demonstrate new uses for advanced solar arrays combined with Hall Effect electric thrusters. The baseline for AXOIM is a single lightweight, high-power...

Tomorrow the 460th Space Wing at Buckley Air Force Base will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first launch of the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. It was the beginnings of a satellite constellation that has been providing space-based infrared missile warning to our nation's leaders for four decades. On, Nov. 6, 1970 the launch of the maiden DSP spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Fla. was accomplished. During the last several decades, a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, acquisition specialists, civilian contractors and space professionals has ensured that the DSP system performed better than advertised and lasted much longer than designed....

Demonstration satellites built by Northrop Grumman and Raytheon successfully tracked a ground-based missile launch in a systems test last month. Tracking data generated by satellite sensors was transmitted to the Missile Defense Integration and Operation Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., which serves as the ground station for the two demonstration spacecraft, Northrop Grumman said in a news release "The STSS satellites operated as expected and the system generated high-quality track data during the boost phase in this first missile test of capabilities," said Gabe Watson, vice president, missile defense and missile warning programs for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

Los Angeles County is seeking to add a new tool to its arsenal of firefighting weapons: satellites. Before California’s next fire season, county officials hope to gain access to infrared data gathered by U.S. Air Force missile warning satellites to assist them in detecting wildfires. On June 16, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors sent letters to senators and representatives in Los Angeles’ congressional delegation asking for help in establishing a program. “The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors respectfully requests your consideration in exploring the feasibility of implementing a pilot program to assess the viability of utilizing satellite...

The Israel Air Force has installed a command and control system to help respond to an enemy missile strike. Officials said the Air Force has installed the Magnet system in all bases. They said Magnet, which links to radar and sensors, facilitates the rapid transfer of data to military headquarters. "The new system can send a warning regarding missiles hitting any base through a message on the screen," Maj. Itzik Ben-Simon, an Air Force operations chief, said. "Until now, the alerts were relayed by phone from the control cell in Tel Aviv." Officials said Magnet has included a computerized operations...

For 30 years, it has protected the East Coast of the United States from sea and land strikes by enemy missiles. Yesterday, officials from the Air Force 6th Space Warning Squadron celebrated those three decades at PAVE PAWS — the first U.S. phased array warning system in the country and only one of four overall. "I think certainly the legacy is keeping a watch, a presence looking out over the Atlantic Ocean," Lt. Col. Max Lantz, commander of the 6th Space Warning Squadron, said Friday. "It's been one of vigilant watch for the past 30 years." Everyday, the 10-story radar...

U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin marked a testing milestone for its missile launch early warning and surveillance geosynchronous orbit spacecraft. Lockheed Martin has successfully completed the first phase of the Baseline Integrated System Test on its second Space-Based Infrared System satellite spacecraft technology. The Baseline Integrated System Test, which is an extensive functional test on the SBIRS GEO, marks a milestone for Lockheed Martin and paves the way for final factory work. The SBIRS GEO is designed to provide the U.S. military with next-generation missile detection and surveillance capabilities. "Concluding the first phase of Baseline Integrated System Test is another...

The U.S. Air Force in its 2011 budget request will announce significant changes to the Third Generation Infrared Surveillance (TGIRS) missile warning technology development program, a top service official said. TGIRS was originally conceived as a potential alternative to the long-troubled Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), whose first dedicated satellite is almost a decade behind schedule. But as the Air Force became confident that SBIRS was finally on track, TGIRS became a technology demonstration effort that now has two main elements: an experimental sensor built by SAIC to be hosted aboard an SES Americom commercial communications satellite slated to launch...

The U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin team developing the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program has achieved two key milestones: a testing milestone demonstrating that the ground system is on track to support launch of the first SBIRS geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite in the constellation, and a maturity milestone moving the ground system into the next level of integration. SBIRS will deliver unprecedented, global, persistent infrared surveillance capabilities by providing early warning of missile launches, and simultaneously supporting other missions including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness. The testing milestone, known as the Combined Day-In-The-Life Test (CDITL), validated the functionality, performance, and...

The U.S. Air Force is asking industry to explore options for quick delivery of a space-based missile warning system, a move which is likely connected to reports that the service's newest ballistic missile warning satellite is failing in orbit. A broad sources sought notice was issued Nov. 24, and a more specific and classified request for information is expected Dec. 1. This flurry of activity is likely a response to concerns of a space-based missile warning gap, according to industry officials. The 23rd Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite, launched into orbit last November, has drifted from its original position in...

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems was awarded a $46 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to continue development of an infrared sensor intended for a missile warning system that may succeed the over-budget and behind-schedule Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) now in development. The Air Force several years ago began planning for a so-called third-generation missile warning system even as it continued to fall behind on the development of SBIRS, a program dogged by technical troubles. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif., is the prime contractor for the SBIRS program, which consists of dedicated missile...