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SBIRS GEO - Goestationary Earth Orbit

SBIRS' persistent surveillance capabilities enable usto detect missile launches around the globe, support the nation's ballistic missile defense system, expand technical intelligence gathering and bolster situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield. SBIRS sensors are designed to provide greater flexibility and sensitivity than DSP and can detect short-wave and expanded mid-wave infrared signals allowing the system to perform a broader set of missions. These enhanced capabilities will result in improved prediction accuracy for global strategic and tactical warfighters.

The SBIRS GEO spacecraft is a 3 axis stabilized platform with a scanning sensor and a staring sensor. Together, the sensors contain nearly one million detector elements in their two focal planes. Sensor pointing is accomplished with pointing mirrors within the telescopes. The GEO-1 payload consists of both a scanning sensor and a staring sensor, and other key spacecraft subsystems and electronics including a pointing and control assembly (PCA). The PCA is based on Lockheed Martin's patented reaction-less gimbal system, which allows the satellite to rapidly and repeatedly scan an area of interest for infrared activity while not interfering with the satellite's ability to simultaneously stare at another area.

• The GEO scanning sensor will provide a shorter revisit time than that of DSP over its full field of view. The scanning sensor is designed for continuous observation and surveillance of traditional intercontinental ballistic missile threats.
• The GEO staring sensor will have high agility to rapidly stare at one earth location and then step to other locations, with improved sensitivity compared to DSP. The staring sensor will be used for step-stare or dedicated stare operations over smaller areas. Several areas can be monitored by the staring sensor with revisit times significantly smaller than that of DSP. A continuous staring mode will also provide an even smaller revisit time. The staring sensor is designed to detect very low signature, short-burn-duration theater missiles.

SBIRS GEO Satellite Features

• A2100 derived spacecraft, 12-year design life, 9.8 year MMD
• ~10,000-lb predicted wet weight at launch
• EELV launch capable
• 3-axis stabilized with 0.05 deg pointing accuracy; solar flyer attitude control
• RS32 rad-hardened single board computers with reloadable flight software
• ~2800 watts generated by GaAs solar arrays
• GPS receiver with Selected Availability Secure Anti-Spoof Module (SAASM)
• Deployable Light Shade
• ~1000-lb infrared payload: scanning and staring sensors
• 3 IR bands: short-wave, mid-wave, and see-to-ground sensor chip assemblies
• Short Schmidt telescopes with dual optical pointing
• Agile precision pointing and control
• Passive thermal cooling
• Secure communications links for normal, survivable, and endurable operations

Since the critical design review in August 2001, the Air Force determined that two late design changes to the GEO satellites were necessary to improve the program's chances of success. In January 2003, the Air Force directed the contractor to replace the 80 ampere-hour battery with a 100 ampere-hour battery to improve the satellites' operational reliability. Program officials estimate that the new battery will cost about $15 million, but the June 2003 cost performance report shows that the contractor is having difficulty assessing and establishing specifications for the battery, which has resulted in schedule delays and could result in even greater costs. The second design change to the GEO satellites is to resolve a power deficiency by modifying the solar cell panel. The expected cost of this change has not yet been determined.

On 03 October 2006 Northrop Grumman Corp. announced that it had successfully completed acoustic testing of the payload for the first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite. During the test, the GEO-1 payload was subjected to the maximum sound and vibration levels expected during the spacecraft's launch into orbit. The payload's sensor assembly was assembled in a launch configuration for this un-powered acoustic exposure. The testing was performed inside Northrop Grumman's Large Acoustic Test Facility at Redondo Beach, Calif. This step marked a key milestone in the test schedule for GEO-1. Over the summer, the fully integrated payload was put through ambient functional testing at Azusa to demonstrate critical payload functions. Engineers executed 147 separate tests which checked out functions such as command and telemetry, infrared data connectivity to the onboard signal processing assembly, internal data bus messaging, scanner and starer mission modes, and downlink interfaces. Additional preparations ensured that the payload could be mounted to the test fixture and tested to the required levels.

On February 5, 2007 Lockheed Martin announced that the first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) spacecraft bus had successfully completed engineering thermal vacuum testing at its facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. The test was conducted inside Lockheed Martin's Dual Entry Large Thermal Altitude (DELTA) chamber from Jan. 16 to Feb. 2 in which performance of the GEO-1 spacecraft's core structure with its integrated propulsion subsystem and other critical subsystems for communications, thermal control, command and data handling were confirmed at temperature extremes greater than those expected during on-orbit operations.

During thermal vacuum testing, the GEO-1 payload demonstrated all four SBIRS mission areas: Missile Warning, Theater Missile Warning and Defense, Technical Intelligence and Battle Space Awareness. The test program exercised the payload over the full gamut of infrared backgrounds as observed from space and multiple point sources representing targets in flight. Scenes were projected into the payload apertures and processed by onboard target detection algorithms to prove complete functionality. In every performance and mission area, the GEO-1 payload surpassed compliance standards with solid positive margins, as well as stated requirements. Full interconnected and cross-strapped redundancies were tested and demonstrated fault tolerance in accordance with specified requirements and design. The payload was tested throughout six thermal cycles, from on-orbit cold to on-orbit hot, and performed excellently.

As of February 2007 Northrop Grumman was scheduled to deliver the completed payload for GEO-1 to Sunnyvale in mid-2007 for final spacecraft assembly, integration and test in preparation for launch in late 2008. Development of GEO-2 is also progressing following a successful pyroshock test phase that validated the structure's ability to sustain shock loads from events such as launch vehicle adapter separation and deployment of solar arrays and antenna wings. The structure is now being readied for propulsion subsystem integration. The GEO-2 satellite is scheduled for launch in late 2009.

In July 2007, the Air Force released a Request for Proposal to the Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman team for a GEO-3 satellite, two additional HEO payloads and an option for a GEO-4 satellite.

In August 2007 Northrop Grumman Corporation, the payload integrator for the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), delivered the first SBIRS geosynchronous orbit (GEO) payload to prime contractor Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) for integration into the spacecraft and final system-level testing. This major program milestone was achieved after an extensive thermal vacuum test program that exercised the payload in a complete "test-like-you-fly" sequence to satisfy both performance and functionality requirements.

In August 2007 the Air Force was given permission to order a third Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) early warning satellite from contractor Lockheed Martin based on a recent review of the satellite program's progress by the Pentagon's acquisition leadership, the service's space acquisition arm announced on Wednesday. "This decision was predicated on confidence that the SBIRS satellite design could perform the mission," Col. John Amrine, commander of the Air Force's SBIRS Wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., said in the statement issued by the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) on 01 August 2007.

On 15 October 2007 Amy Butler of Aerospace Daily & Defense Report noted that the loss of a classified satellite after only 7 seconds on orbit prompted the review of software and processors that caused the most recent delay and a potential $1 billion overrun in Lockheed Martin's Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). Industry officials said Lockheed Martin designed the safe-hold software and architecture for both the failed satellite and SBIRS. This classified spacecraft had some similar architectural qualities to that of the upcoming SBIRS geosynchronous spacecraft, which triggered a review of its processors and architecture in the summer of 2007.

The Geo-3 satellite mounted on a Atlas V rocket was launched from Florida. The satellite capitalizes on infrared technology for defense purposes that include missile warning, missile counter-defense, intelligence gathering, and geospatial situational awareness to support troops. The Air Force fired the Geo-1 and Geo-2 satellites into space in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

The U.S. Space Force successfully launched a billion-dollar rocket into space to enable the US military to better detect missile launches. It was launched on 18 May 2021 from Cape Canaveral in Florida on an Atlas 5 rocket. This satellite is the fifth in the series of infrared system satellites that will replace an older constellation of defense satellites. They can detect heat from missile exhaust around the world. The first one was launched in 2011, and the next one was due to launch in June 2021. Both the SBIRS Geo-5 and Geo-6 satellites are more capable than their predecessors thanks to an upgraded spacecraft bus. According to Lockheed Martin, the upgraded bus is a more robust design with enhanced electronics and propulsion systems. Its design can also accommodate new types of sensors and technology the military might need.