Friday, January 09, 2009

SBSS

IOC: 2008
Total Production: 1
Total Program's Cost: USD$189 million

SBSS Pathfinder

Unitary Cost: USD$189 million

Also Known As
Space-Based Space Surveillance System

Origin
United States of America

Contractor/s
Ball Aerospace
Boeing *

Description: The Space-Based Space Surveillance System (SBSS) intends to detect and track space objects such as satellites and orbital debris. The US Air Force awarded Boeing and Ball Aerospace a $189 million developmental contract in March 2004. The data gathered by the SBSS will be used to support military missions and NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) missions.

The Boeing and Ball Aerospace team will be responsible for developing a satellite, the ground segment and launch services required to put the satellite into orbit. Northrop-Grumman Mission Systems is the mission area prime contractor. The SBSS Pathfinder satellite carrying a visible sensor is slated to be launched by mid to late 2007. Since then, Pathfinder will provide space situational awareness capability for the warfighter. In 2005, the launch date was delayed to 2008.

The SBSS Objective System aim is to deploy a constellation of satellites that will detect and track orbiting space objects, including potential threats to America's space assets and orbital debris. The data gathered by SBSS will be used by DoD to support military operations. The system will overcome shortfalls of current ground-based systems which do not provide this service with the timeliness required.

News
Boeing and Ball Aerospace Achieve New Milestone for SBSS Program

Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Saturday, December 20, 2008

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