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Missile Defense: Alternate Approaches to Space Tracking and Surveillance System Need to Be Considered

GAO-03-597 Published: May 23, 2003. Publicly Released: May 23, 2003.
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Highlights

The Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is developing a ballistic missile defense system designed to counter a wide spectrum of ballistic missile threats. A future element of this system is the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS). STSS will eventually be composed of a constellation of satellites that will work together to detect and track missiles throughout all phases of their flight. GAO was asked to analyze MDA's approach to demonstrate capabilities for STSS.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To better ensure MDA's approach to validate space-based sensors and technologies for missile acquisition, tracking, and discrimination, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Director, MDA to focus spending on its STSS contract to assessing the working condition of the legacy satellites and what additional work is necessary to develop, test, and launch the existing satellites so that MDA has more knowledge on which to build cost and schedule estimates.
Closed – Implemented
The assessment of the working condition of the legacy satellites in DOD's Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) has been a major focus of DOD's ongoing activity for STSS. This included assessing the condition of and reactivating the hardware, all of which is now complete. The program is currently performing system level assembly, integration and testing on the satellites as well as software development. According to the program manager, the design work on the next generation satellites has been deferred until they have had one year of on-orbit experience with the legacy satellites. Currently, the STSS Block 06 effort remains on schedule and the program office expects that the satellites will be launched a few months earlier than the contract date of July 2007. Once launched, the two satellites will be assessed as to how well they work within the context of the missile defense system. MDA is also studying improvements to the STSS program and plans to build next-generation satellites.
Department of Defense To better ensure MDA's approach to validate space-based sensors and technologies for missile acquisition, tracking, and discrimination, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Director, MDA to use this assessment to conduct a broader analysis of alternative approaches, including the possibility of delaying launches to 2008 as well as dropping the development of the existing satellite components and focusing instead on developing demonstration satellites based on later generation technology.
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD used an initial assessment of the Flight Demonstration System (FDS) to conduct an analysis of alternative approaches to development of space based sensor to support Ballistic Missile Defense. DOD did not conduct a broader assessment to determine alternative approaches and did not consider the possibility of delaying any launches to do this assessment. DOD believes that Block 2006 will yield critical data which will expand understanding of the effectiveness of a space-based infrared system.
Department of Defense To better ensure MDA's approach to validate space-based sensors and technologies for missile acquisition, tracking, and discrimination, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Director, MDA to use this assessment to find ways to ensure that competition at the sensor level is part of all efforts to develop missile tracking capabilities.
Closed – Not Implemented
While DOD concurred with this recommendation, it has not taken any action on implementing it. DOD stated that competition in the area of sensor payloads is central to the Department's risk mitigation strategies on STSS.
Department of Defense To better ensure MDA's approach to validate space-based sensors and technologies for missile acquisition, tracking, and discrimination, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Director, MDA to, if this assessment concludes that MDA should follow a different path for STSS, renegotiate the STSS contract to account for this change,
Closed – Not Implemented
While DOD concurred with this recommendation, it has not followed a different strategy as the assessment of the Block 2006 hardware does not indicate the need to adjust the contract.

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Topics

Ballistic missile defenseElectronic surveillanceMilitary research and developmentMilitary satellitesSatellitesU.S. Air ForceMissilesSoftware developmentBallistic missile defenseSurveillance systems