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AIRSS Alternative Infrared Satellite System

Because of continuing problems with SBIRS, in 2006 DOD began a parallel alternative effort in 2006 known as the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS), to compete with SBIRS and ensure that the nation's missile-warning and defense capabilities are sustained, or possibly provide a follow-on capability to SBIRS.

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD (AT&L)) directed the Air Force to begin parallel efforts to develop a viable competing capability for SBIRS, referred to as AIRSS. USD (AT&L) identified three overall objectives for AIRSS:

• motivate successful execution of the SBIRS program by initiating a viable competing capability;
• pursue an alternative approach, with acceptable technical risk that offers DSP-like missile warning capability to ensure current capabilities are sustained, if SBIRS GEO falters; and
• develop a next-generation SBIRS system to meet worldwide surveillance requirements by initiating efforts for technology risk reduction, system definition, and evaluation of alternative sensor architectures.

The December 2005 Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) stated the AIRSS effort should:

• "plan for a new program for space-based Overhead Non-imaging Infrared that generates competitionfor the SBIRS High GEO 3 satellite"
• "perform technology risk reduction, perform system definition, and evaluate alternative sensor architectures"
• "provide insurance against further difficulties encountered on the SBIRS program"
• "pursue an approach with acceptable technical riskthat offers DSP-likemissile warning capability"

Space and Missiles System Center conducted an Industry Day Conference on On 11 January 2006 by the government study program representatives to address the goals and contractual objectives of a candidate new space system to perform overhead non-imaging infra-red (ONIR) missions. The purpose of this study is to assess alternative system concepts for new ONIR capabilities. The government study is chartered to assess Wide Field Of View (WFOV) telescopes, which can view the entire earth from geo-synchronous altitude, and large format Focal Plane Arrays (FPA), capable of imaging the entire earth. The study team is interested in gaining industry perspectives on both of these technologies either separately or as a combined system capability. The study team is interested in gaining industry insights into any other system concepts or design trades relevant to performing current ONIR missions with reduced costs or with lower technical risk. The results of the study are intended to support an acquisition program to be submitted to OSD/AT&L for approval in FY08 for a planned Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in FY15.

The National Security Space Office (NSSO) completed its infrared architecture study in December 2006. In 2006, the Air Force completed studies that provided recommendations for technology development, a road map for inserting those technologies, options for future infrared systems that offer the potential to improve the performance and reduce the cost of SBIRS, and an acquisition strategy for AIRSS.

In 2006, program officials awarded contracts that aim to advance key technologies and capabilities. Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC)/Air Force Research Laboratory issued two Broad Agency Announcement contracts for development of WFOV technologies to Raytheon ($54.4 million) and SAIC ($26 million). SMC issued two Program Research and Development Announcement contracts for system design to General Dynamics ($23.3 million) and Northrop Grumman Space Technology ($24.8 million).

In April 2006 the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate (VS), Kirtland AFB, NM announced that it was interested in receiving proposals from all offerors to advance the state-of-the-art and scientific knowledge in space and missile technology; specifically, in the Risk Reduction for the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (RR-AIRSS): The Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) program is being managed by the Developmental Planning Directorate of the Air Force Space and Missile Command (SMC/XR). AIRSS is a parallel program to the Space Based Infrared Satellite (SBIRS) High geosynchronous satellite number 3 (GEO 3). The decision to produce GEO 3 or AIRSS will be dependent on developmental success of the geosynchronous satellites, and the technical maturity demonstrated by AIRSS. The decision was expected to be made in FY08.

To help support the FY08 decision gate, the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/VS) is executing Risk Reduction for the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (RR-AIRSS) under SMC/XR support. The overarching goal of RR-AIRSS is to raise the maturity of the critical technologies through component and system-level performance test, environmental test and flight qualification. The goal of RR-AIRSS is to produce the quantitative data needed to define a highly-reliable AIRSS Program Baseline for Functional Design, Budget, and Schedule and enable a low-risk on-ramp into SBIRS if needed.

Topic 1 was Integrated AIRSS Payload Experiments. Candidate infrared (IR) payloads will be assembled from components with high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and seek quantitative systems-level verification through ground performance and environmental test. The integrated payloads will be tested for performance comparison to SBIRS and DSP-like requirements. The integrated payloads will be fully flight-qualified through environmental testing focused on vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, and electromagnetic interference (EMI). This approach is designed to offer the most iron-clad risk reduction for AIRSS, as opposed to striving for the greatest possible payload performance.

Topic 2 was Critical AIRSS Component Development. Design work under Topic 1 is expected to identify key areas where technology development at the component level will have major impact on the systems-level performance of the integrated payload. Topic 2 will solicit proposals at the component level for technology development and component-level flight qualification. Component level elements of primary interest include, but are not limited to, large area focal plane arrays, cryocoolers, advanced data processing hardware and algorithms, and wide-field-of-view (WFOV) telescopes.The goal of efforts funded under Topic 2 will be to provide quantitative data or demonstrated capability needed to include the component in an integrated payload. Where applicable, components should be environmentally tested for suitability in a flight system.

The WFOV capability had not been achieved with the materials and technologies specifically planned for AIRSS. Mercury-cadmium-telluride sensor chip assembly performance level has yet to be verified. Full-earth infrared telescope has yet to be developed and demonstrated. Cyrocoolers have yet to demonstrate low jitter, high efficiency and long lifeFinding.

USD (AT&L) directed the Air Force to have the first AIRSS satellite available for launch no later than May 2015. The Air Force has budgeted over $3.3 billion for AIRSS, from fiscal year 2007 through 2013. The baseline schedule for award was late FY 2007. The effort will be approximately 5-7 years in duration and composed of design, build, test, and on-orbit analysis and operations support. Offerors should plan for an October 2010 launch date.

USD (AT&L) established objectives for the program that were incompatible given the time frame and budget to complete the work under each objective. One was to solely ensure current missile-warning and defense capabilities are sustained, and the other was to develop the next generation of missile-warning and defense systems. The first would require DOD to pursue a low-risk technology path in order to deliver capability quickly. The second would require DOD to advance technologies and/or design and, thus, budget more time for knowledge building in advance of an acquisition program. In other words, one objective served as an insurance policy for SBIRS; the other was a major effort to advance the way DOD detects missile launches.

Subsequently, USD (AT&L) never clarified what was wanted from the program, and the Air Force, in turn, set out to develop advanced capabilities. Moreover, there was disagreement within OSD as to whether the approach being pursued for AIRSS was the only and/or best option available to the Air Force. For example, DOD's Cost Analysis Improvement Group as well as Program Analysis and Evaluation staffs expressed concern that the focus on developing technology would hinder delivery of an AIRSS satellite available for launch in 2015. It was evident that AIRSS could not realistically serve as a back-up to SBIRS because the proposed satellite delivery schedule was very aggressive for meeting the 2015 launch availability date, according to AIRSS program officials.

In addition, in its effort to pursue advanced capability, the Air Force had not positioned the AIRSS program for success. First, not enough time was budgeted for developing and launching the first satellite. At the direction of USD (AT&L), the Air Force set 2015 as the launch date for the first satellite. The period planned between "preliminary design"review and "critical design" review for AIRSS is shorter than for most other major space programs. Specifically, the program was allowing only 12 months from preliminary to critical design review, and 4 years from critical design review to satellite delivery. By contrast, the SBIRS High program took 44 months from preliminary design review to critical design review. Two newer programs, Space Radar and Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT), have planned for 16 and 27 months respectively.

Second, the AIRSS program may be optimistic in its assumptions about technology risk. The program's schedule shows critical technologies reaching a high level of maturity at program start. But the program was facing considerable technical risk since it is working to build an infrared telescope with a large viewing capability that has never before been developed and it is planning to use "cryocoolers" that have yet to demonstrate low levels of jitter, high efficiency, and long life, and a sensor chip whose assembly's performance level has yet to be verified.

Third, the Air Force's research laboratory officials have stated that on-orbit testing is the only way to validate the proposed capability for AIRSS and reduce risk to an acceptable level. To achieve these results, the Air Force is proposing to launch a small-scale demonstration satellite in late 2010. However, the results from the on-orbit demonstration satellite will not be ready in time to fully inform the development of the first AIRSS satellite. Furthermore, AIRSS officials plan to award contracts for the first satellite before data from on-orbit testing is completed. Our analysis shows that if the tests do not go well, DOD will not have time to return to an approach using lower-risk technology.

In January 2007, Northrop Grumman received a $24.8 million contract to define system-level performance requirements for the space, ground and launch segments and key subsystems for the AIRSS program. On April 12, 2007 Northrop Grumman was selected by the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center for a contract worth up to $21.9 million for the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) effort. Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector will provide planning for mission integration and software development approaches for the ground-based processing segment of an AIRSS flight demonstration system. The initial contract comes with two options. If the options are exercised, Northrop Grumman would also provide system design and systems software architecture definition for the ground segment of an AIRSS objective system and initial flight processing solution refinement for the AIRSS demonstration system.