SUNNYVALE, Calif. - From its final orbit location 22,000 miles above the equator, the third Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite recently sent its first images back down to Earth, a milestone known as "first light."
The satellite was launched on Jan. 20 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and is the third in a series of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites that the U.S. Air Force uses to provide faster and more accurate missile warning data to the nation and its allies. The satellite reached orbit, where it successfully completed deployments of its sun-tracking solar arrays, antenna wing assemblies and light shade.
The constellation is operated by the next-generation SBIRS ground station at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. GEO Flight 4, the next satellite in the series, will undergo final assembly, integration and test at Lockheed Martin's satellite production facility in Sunnyvale, California, prior to its launch planned for later this year.
After finally overcoming the hurdles that faced the program, SBIRS has entered its production phase. As such, Forecast International expects SBIRS GEO spacecraft to be delivered throughout the decade.
The Air Force has also begun investigating a follow-on to the SBIRS system. The service issued a Request for Information (RFI) in April 2014 to begin the process of gathering the necessary information to start development of a satellite network that will serve between 2025 and 2040. The USAF is studying a number of options for SBIRS follow-ons. It will likely include a combination of complete satellites and hosted payloads. The service may also use a disaggregated mission profile, in which mission elements are split between multiple satellites.
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