Expedition Space: Space Launch, Events, News

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — U.S. Army leaders have signed off on plans to explore the use of satellites in low Earth orbit to give soldiers dedicated surveillance, navigation and imaging capabilities. The Army’s effort is called “tactical space layer” and is led by the U.S. Army’s Futures Command, based in Austin, Texas. The Futures Command in an April 19 news release said it was given approval for “rapid experimentation and prototyping efforts for tactical space-based sensors with supporting ground-based equipment.” One of the desired capabilities for the tactical space layer is positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), a service that is provided by the U.S. Global Positioning System satellites. The Army worries that adversaries in a conflict will jam GPS and want to have backup systems available. The Army also wants satellites for surveillance and reconnaissance. “The tactical space layer will provide deep area sensing, rapid targeting and unmatched battlefield situational a...

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin announced a new line of satellites designed for space-based surveillance. The mid-size satellite bus is aimed at the military market and would be interoperable with military weapons systems such as fighter jets and air defense systems. The company is pitching the new mid-size satellite as an alternative to tactical surveillance platforms like airplanes and drones. Lockheed Martin’s “tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” satellites would give the military a capability to track moving targets from space without having to put people at risk, the company said April 13 in a news release.   A spokesman said Lockheed Martin believes the military can benefit from the lower cost of building and launching satellites, which makes space-based surveillance more affordable. For example, the Army could use satellites to locate targets and images of those targets could be downlinked to commanders on the ground. The Air Force could...

by Sandra Erwin WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force awarded LinQuest Corp. a $500 million contract for analysis work over five years. The contract was awarded Jan. 4 but the Defense Department announced it March 5. Based in Los Angeles, LinQuest is a longtime support contractor of the Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center and other defense organizations. The $500 million contract is for work previously done by The Perduco Group, based in Beavercreek, Ohio, under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 contract.    The Perduco Group, a provider of data analytics, modeling and simulation services for military and intelligence agencies, was acquired by LinQuest in November 2019. According to the DoD announcement, the $500 million contract is for “tradespace analysis support” for the Space Acquisition Management Directorate, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The company will fill “critical analysis gaps in acquisitions and increase the rigor of Space Force...