1997 Space News

The 47th IAF Congress, Beijing, China AOARD-LR-97-01 - Prof Wang of the Harbin Institute of Technology, Beijing briefed a small sat concept for a high resolution optical remote sensing system. This would consist of a CCD camera mounted on a telescope with a 1.72 deg field of view at 630 km altitude for 1.5m resolution.
Antimissile Defense: Strategic Interception -- Bibliography of Documents Available from DTIC The DTIC Review, Dec 1997
Hard.Copy - 19 December 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Hard.Copy - 12 December 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
[EXCERPT] DoD News Briefing Thursday, December 11, 1997 - Discussion about the test of the MIRACL laser against a satellite.
First results from nonproliferation satellite expand knowledge of lightning, TIPPs SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9, 1997 - Just three months after its launch, Los Alamos National Laboratory's FORTE satellite is detecting many thousands more radio bursts from lightning strikes and other phenomena than previously reported.
Hard.Copy - 05 December 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
FLORIDA KEYS MISSILE LAUNCHES REEVALUATED - November 24, 1997 - Air Force Lt. Gen. Lester L. Lyles, Director, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), has decided that the preferred method of launching target missiles in the Gulf of Mexico for Theater Missile Defense (TMD) testing will be from aircraft instead of from land sites in the Florida Keys.
Hard.Copy - 14 November 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Airborne Laser technology is on track Released: Nov 10, 1997 - KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS)
Yeltsin letter reveals anti-satellite weapons By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES November 7, 1997
Hard.Copy - 07 November 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Acquisition Strategy Change, November 6, 1997
X-33 PROGRESS 03-Nov-97 THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE U-S SPACE SHUTTLE HAS CLEARED A MAJOR DESIGN HURDLE
PRC Landsat Serves Agriculture And Land Use Planners A November 1997 Report from U.S. Embassy Beijing - LANDSAT's first major success in China was helping demonstrate that Tibet has enough arable land to feed it itself and that boosting land productivity, not increasing land area is the answer.
Hard.Copy - 31 October 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Atlas IIA/DSCS successfully launches after one-hour delay The Atlas team overcame an hour-long delay to successfully launch an Air Force Defense Satellite Communications System payload into space aboard an Atlas IIA rocket with a Centaur upper stage at 8:46 p.m. EDT, Oct. 24, 1997, from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla.
PENTAGON/LASER TEST VOA 23 October 1997
[EXCERPT] Defense Department News Briefing 23 October 1997 - Discussion of the MIRACL laser test, including how many bursts were actually fired at the satellite, whether they got data back from the satellite, and whether or not the test was successful.
U.S. LASER WEAPON TEST FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION DAILY DIGEST USIA Wednesday, 22 October 1997
Hard.Copy - 17 October 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
[EXCERPT] Defense Department News Briefing 09 October 1997 - On MIRACL, two opportunities to test that laser were missed last week. The Secretary has asked the Army to continue to look for opportunities to test that laser before the target satellite goes into eclipse later this month.
[EXCERPT] Defense Department News Briefing 07 October 1997 - "Because of cloud cover at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico last night, the MIRACL test did not take place. We had also attempted a test of MIRACL on Saturday night, but because of some technical difficulties, that test also did not take place."
[EXCERPT] TRANSCRIPT: STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, OCTOBER 3, 1997 " ... this experiment does not violate any arms control agreement. As you know, there is no anti-satellite treaty, other international law, or US domestic law."
Hard.Copy - 03 October 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
U-S LASER TEST VOA 02 October 1997
U-S LASER TEST VOA 02 October 1997
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE APPROVES LASER EXPERIMENT TO IMPROVE SATELLITE PROTECTION October 2, 1997 - Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen today has approved an experiment being conducted by the U.S. Army's Mid-Infra-Red Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL) located at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The satellite that will be used for the test is the U.S. Air Force Miniature Sensor Technology Integration program's third satellite (MSTI-3).
Ocean Science and Engineering Newsletter # 6 Hassan B. Ali (October 1997) Report on the First China-US Marine Remote Sensing Conference (CUMRSC '97), and associated site visits to remote sensing facilities in Beijing, China.
Hard.Copy - 26 September 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Hard.Copy - 19 September 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Hard.Copy - 12 September 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Hard.Copy - 05 September 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Phillips Lab, Boeing roll out Space Maneuver Vehicle Released: Sep 3, 1997 - The Space Maneuver Vehicle Program ties into another larger program called the Military Spaceplane Program.
Military Is Hoping to Test-Fire Laser Against Satellite by William J. Broad, New York Times September 1, 1997
Hard.Copy - 29 August 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Los Alamos launches nonproliferation satellite LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Aug. 29, 1997 - Los Alamos National Laboratory's FORTE satellite reached orbit today at 8:15 a.m. PDT and is working fine, based on initial "state of health" data received at Los Alamos' ground station at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Theater High Altitude Area Defense - 26 August 1997 -- The fifth intercept attempt by the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program, originally scheduled for December, has been delayed until early 1998.
Hard.Copy - 22 August 1997 Article Citations Gathered From Commercially Published Journals And Newsletters.
Los Alamos ready for Aug. 28 launch of satellite to study nonproliferation, lightning LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Aug. 22, 1997 -- FORTE, which stands for Fast On-orbit Recording of Transient Events, is a lightweight satellite designed as a test bed for technology to monitor compliance with arms control treaties.
CBD IMAGE ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM (IES) FOLLOW-ON EFFORT IN SUPPORT OF THE KINETIC ENERGY ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPON SYSTEM (KE ASAT WS) PROGRAM Jul 15, 1997
Launch marks new era for GPS, Delta II July 1997
National Missile Defense News Briefing - 02 July 1997 -- Army Brigadier General Joseph Cosumano, Program Manager for the National Missile Defense Joint Program Office, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Briefing on the first flight test of a sensor for the National Missile Defense Program. The test, considered successful based upon preliminary data, involved the launching of a prototype sensor to track and identify target objects deployed by a missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON A NEW GPS SIGNAL IN SPACE Commerce Business Daily June 23, 1997
NRL Revamping Control Module for NASA Space Station - NRL Press Release 7-97r June, 1997
CHINA'S FARMLAND LOSS RINGS ALARM -- SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL A SERIOUS PROBLEM A report from U.S. Embassy Beijing June 1997 -- Summary. Landsat photos showing that China is losing cultivated land to development two and one-half times faster than previously assumed have moved the Politburo into ordering tough new measures.
CBD: INTEGRATED STAGE PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION FOR THE KINETIC ENERGY ANTI-SATELLITE (KE ASAT) PROGRAM May 13, 1997
Subject: theater missile defense tests near Hawaii and elsewhere Theater Missile Defense Extended Test Range EIS documents have lots of details about missiles to be used and launch sites in or near the four areas evaluated -- White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Eglin AFB in Florida, Western Range (Vandenberg AFB and vicinity) in California, and Kwajalein Missile Range in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. From: MDJ@uhhepb.phys.hawaii.edu Date: 10 May 1997
CONTRACTS, including: COBRA GEMINI / Dual-Band Radar / STEEL TRAP, Clear Radar Upgrade, Military Spaceplane, May 9, 1997
New Boeing GPS Satellites to Use Advanced NRL Atomic Clocks May 5, 1997
Sources Sought Synopsis for SBIR Low Strategy
BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE ORGANIZATION Contract News Release Number: No. 202-97 April 25, 1997 On April 25, 1997, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization warded two contracts for the concept definition study phase of the National Missile Defense Lead Systems Integrator competition
BMDO CONTRACTS FOR NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE LEAD SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR Contract Release Number: No. 203-97 FOR RELEASE AT 5 p.m. EDT April 25, 1997 The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization announced today that two contracts for the concept definition study phase of the National Missile Defense (NMD) Lead Systems Integrator have been awarded to United Missile Defense Company, Bethesda, Md., and Boeing North American Inc., Downey, Calif.
TWO INDEPENDENT THAAD ASSESSMENTS COMPLETED DOD News Release Number: No. 193-97 April 23, 1997. The Department of Defense announced today that two independent review teams examining the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system have completed their individual assessments and forwarded recommendations to senior officials of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, U.S. Army and other government agencies. The teams found that although THAAD has failed to intercept a target ballistic missile in four attempts, the THAAD design as a hit-to-kill interceptor is sound, as is the concept that THAAD will meet its operational requirements.
DOD Contracts News Release: No. 194-97 April 23, 1997. General Atomics, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $5,401,936 cost plus fixed fee contract for the research, development, test and evaluation of advanced in-core thermionic technologies to support long duration space missions for national security purposes.
Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, TRW form new company for national missile defense April 22, 1997 01:00 PM EDT United Missile Defense Company (UMDC), a joint venture equally owned by Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and TRW, has been formed to assist the U.S. Government in developing a comprehensive and effective system to defend the nation against a ballistic missile attack.
NASA and Air Force Space Command Announce Cooperative Efforts April 16, 1997
Subject: Kaminski table of hit-to-kill tests Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 15:57:30 EDT From: George Lewis
BMDO Forms New Joint Program Office MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS Memorandum: No. 049-M April 3, 1997 The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization has formed a Joint Program Office for the National Missile Defense program, effective April 1, 1997.
EELV System Concept for Public Release McDonnell-Douglas proposal
EELV System Concept for Public ReleaseLockheed Martin proposal
Team ABL Successfully Completes a Major Program Milestone Wednesday, March 26, 1997 10:00:00 AM EST SEATTLE, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A trio of aerospace industry leaders -- Boeing (NYSE: BA), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and TRW (NYSE: TRW) -- working for the U.S. Air Force to produce the revolutionary Airborne Laser (ABL) weapon system, has successfully completed a crucial review process clearing the way for the beginning of detailed design and engineering work.
Testimony Tidbit on Patriot : Fri, 21 Mar 1997 - It seems that the Pentagon's performance claims about Patriot's Gulf War performance is down to about "eighty percent confiden(ce) [of] ... an eighty percent hit."
PATRIOT MISSILE INTERCEPTS SCUD DURING TEST March 21, 1997 U.S. Department of Defense
Another Successful Intercept in the Pacific The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command announced another successful intercept of a Scud ballistic missile target by an improved PATRIOT missile defense system during a test on March 20 in the central Pacific Ocean.
CBD PHASE III IMAGE ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM (IES) FOLLOW-ON EFFORT SUPPORT OF THE KINETIC ENERGY ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPON SYSTEM (KE ASAT WS) PROGRAM Mar 19, 1997
Lockheed Martin, TRW Complete First Integrated Test of Space Laser Components Monday, March 17, 1997 10:02:00 AM EST REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1997--On Feb. 20, Lockheed Martin and TRW (NYSE:TRW) moved the nation one step closer to being able to demonstrate a space-based laser (SBL) missile defense system.
BMDO/SDIO tests of TMD and NMD interceptors are 2 for 14 Details (e.g., dates, what interceptor systems, test objectives, justification for assertion that a test "failed") provided here.
SUCCESSFUL ARROW-2 TEST DOD News Release Reference Number: No. 112-97 March 11, 1997 The Joint- U.S. /Israel Arrow Ballistic Missile Defense System conducted a successful intercept of a target ballistic missile today in Israel. This was the fourth test of the Arrow- 2 missile and the second successful intercept attempt. The first two tests were not intercept attempts.
[EXCERPTS] DoD News Briefing Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD (PA) Tuesday, March 11, 1997 - 1:30 p.m. I'd also like to make a brief announcement. There was a successful test this morning of the Arrow II anti-tactical ballistic missile. The test was conducted in Israel.
DOD News Release Contract Number: No. 111-97 Technology Development Corporation*, Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on March 7, 1997, a $641,039 increment as part of a $9,969,386 cost-plus-fixed-fee (level of effort) contract for Laser Radar Sensor Test Bed Program. March 10, 1997
THERMIONICS AND SPACE BASED NUCLEAR POWER [Commerce Business Daily: Posted March 7, 1997] The Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) plans to explore potential areas of interest with International Energy Technologies (INERTEK) in space based nuclear power and thermionics.
Missile Defense System Fails Fourth Test. Lockheed Martin Stock Falls Amid Doubts About $17 Billion Project By John Mintz Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 7 1997; Page G01 The Washington Post
Thaad missile misses mark for a 4th time Lockheed project faces `restructuring,' Pentagon official says; $16.7 billion undertaking; Congress has pushed for fielding system as soon as possible The Baltimore Sun 3/07/97
PENTAGON/MISSILE TEST INTRO: THE PENTAGON IS REPORTING ANOTHER SETBACK IN ITS EFFORT TO DEVELOP A DEFENSE AGAINST SHORT AND MEDIUM-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILES. AN INTERCEPTOR MISSILE MISSED ITS TARGET IN A CRUCIAL TEST FLIGHT IN NEW MEXICO IN THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TEST FAILURE. VOA'S DAVID GOLLUST HAS DETAILS FROM THE PENTAGON. Voice of America, DAVID GOLLUST, PENTAGON, 3/6/97
INTERCEPT NOT ACHIEVED DURING THAAD TEST The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Army said today that a Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile attempted to hit a target ballistic missile in a test at White Sands Missile Range, NM. DOD News Release Reference Number: No. 105-97 March 6, 1997
This dog won't hunt!!! The Army's Theater High Altitude Area Defense [THAAD] interceptor marked another milestone in a test series thus far unblemished by success, when it [as usual] missed a target at the White Sands Missile range in the fourth attempt to actually hit something. 06 March 1997
March 5, 1997 letter from Richard Parlow Associate Administrator Office of Spectrum Management National Telecommunications and Information Administration to Mr. Richard Smith Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology Federal Communications Commission
SPACE BASED INFRARED SYSTEMS LOW SEGMENT CALL FOR INDUSTRY COMMENTS Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Program Office, Advanced Programs Division, is seeking aerospace industry inputs for a SBIRS Industry Day. [Commerce Business Daily: Posted March 04, 1997]
Editorial: Don't Scrimp On Testing For Missile Defenses " ... there is a potential weak link in the chain of development, evaluation and deployment, and that is testing. Budget realities and the high cost of firing scores of interceptors against targets have forced test teams to rely heavily on computer-based testing." Aviation Week & Space Technology, 03 March 1997
Satellite Vulnerability in the News, thomsona@netcom.com (Allen Thomson), 1997/03/03.
DOD Contract News Raytheon Systems Development Co., Marlborough, Mass., is being awarded a $44,326,781 cost plus award fee contract to provide for acquisition of the National Air and Space (Warfare) Model (NASM). Release Number: No. 100-97 March 3, 1997
SSDC and TRADOC sign MOA SSDC News Release On February 18, 1997, the commanding general of the Training and Doctrine Command, General William W. Hartzog and the commander of the U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, Lieutenant General Edward G. Anderson III signed a memorandum of agreement to recognize SSDC as the Army's specified proponent for space and missile defense. The MOA also permits SSDC to establish the Space and Missile Defense Battle Lab. Prepared 3 March 1997
Two Successful Suborbital Rocket Launches The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (SSDC) announced two successful completions of suborbital rocket launches under the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) Critical Measurements Program (TCMP). The flight tests took place on February 22 and March 1 from Wake Island to the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll missile range in the mid-Pacific. SSDC News Release, Gerda Sherrill, Prepared 3 Mar 97
SUBJECT: 18 GHz Exclusion/Coordination Zones MEMORANDUM FOR NTIA/OSM ASSOCIATED ADMINISTRATOR, MR PARLOW from DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AF Frequency Managment Agency (HQ USAF) 3 March, 1997
THAAD Radar Test Successful at Kwajalein MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS US Army Program Executive Office Air and Missile Defense Public Affairs Office, Huntsville AL [ 205-842-0558 - Ms Trousdale], 28 Feb 1997
THAAD Test Scrubbed Due to Weather MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS US Army Program Executive Office Air and Missile Defense Public Affairs Office, Huntsville AL [ 205-842-0558 - Ms Trousdale], 28 Feb 1997
CBD KINETIC ENERGY (KE) ANTI-SATELLITE (ASAT) TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM Feb 25, 1997
LOW COST CRUISE MISSILE DEFENSE PROGRAM STUDIES ANNOUNCED Feb.18, 1997 - Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas (contract amount: $1,076,926); Boeing North American, Anaheim, Calif. (contract amount: $182,485); and Toyon Research Corporation, Goleta, Calif. (contract amount: $848,501), will each conduct a 12-month effort.
CBD: DASG60-97-0021 - KINETIC ENERGY ANTI-SATELLITE (KE-ASAT) TECHNICAL AND ANALYTICAL SERVICES Feb 14, 1997
Re: New article on CORONA history (Steven J Forsberg ) 1997/02/06
New article on CORONA history (Allen Thomson) 1997/02/05
Secrets that Aren't!! , thomasona@netcom.com (Allen Thomson), 1997/01/31.
Re: Re: Lacrosse: What's up with the antenna...? (Allen Thomson) Tue, 28 Jan 1997
Re: Lacrosse: What's up with the antenna...? (Steven J Forsberg ) Tue, 28 Jan 1997
Lacrosse: What's up with the antenna...? (Steven J Forsberg ) Tue, 28 Jan 1997
Re: Questions on "Lacrosse" signal... (Allen Thomson) Tue, 28 Jan 1997
Re: Doubts about FAS "Lacrosse" homepage... (Ted Molczan) Tues, 28 Jan 1997
Questions on "Lacrosse" signal... (Steven J Forsberg ) 27 Jan 1997
Re: Doubts about FAS "Lacrosse" homepage... (John Pike) Mon, 27 Jan 1997
Doubts about FAS "Lacrosse" homepage... (Steven J Forsberg ) 27 Jan 1997
CONTRACTS - Nichols Research Corporation Nichols Research Corporation, Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $14,045,435 face value increase to a cost plus award fee contract to provide for engineering, analysis and design support for the Air Force Ballistic Missile Defense Program Office. Contract Number: No. 034-97, January 24, 1997
NAVY INTERCEPTS THEATER BALLISTIC MISSILE, ACCELERATES TBMD PROGRAM Reference Number: No. 037-97, January 24, 1997
EKV Fails The latest word from BMDO is that the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle [EKV] was not launched from Kwajalein due to a computer failure with the Payload Launch Vehicle [PLV].
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) Department of Defense, Public Affairs Memorandum: No. 005-M, January 17, 1997
MSLS LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL Release Number 97-0107, Vandenberg Air Force Base, January 16, 1997
MSLS-2 Launched on scheduleThe MSLS target vehicle, a converted Minuteman-2 ICBM, was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 8:15 PM EST Thursday 16 Jan 97
US Navy Intercepts Target Missile CDISS News and Views - January 1997
NMD Flight Tests Resume January 13, 1997
January 7, 1997 letter from Richard Parlow Associate Administrator Office of Spectrum Management National Telecommunications and Information Administration to Mr. Richard Smith Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology Federal Communications Commission
US Awards Airborne Laser Contract CDISS News and Views - November 1996

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