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On March 16, 1955, the U.S. Air Force had ordered the development of an advanced reconnaissance satellite to provide continuous surveillance of “preselected areas of the Earth” in order “to determine the status of a potential enemy’s war-making capability.” [2] The result of this order was the creation of a then-secret USAF program known as WS-117L, which controlled the development ...
The SBIRS satellites are a replacement for the Defense Support Program (DSP) early warning system. They are intended to detect ballistic missile launches, as well as various other events in the infrared spectrum, including nuclear explosions , aircraft flights, space object entries and reentries, wildfires , and spacecraft launches .
Based on its experiences with the launching of short-range theater missiles by Iraq during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) concluded that expanded theater missile warning capabilities were needed, and it began planning for an improved infrared satellite sensor capability that would support both long-range strategic and short-range theater ballistic missile ...
The satellites are in geosynchronous orbits, and are equipped with infrared sensors operating through a wide-angle Schmidt camera. The entire satellite spins so that the linear sensor array in the focal plane scans over the Earth six times every minute. [2] Typically, DSP satellites were launched on Titan IVB boosters with Inertial Upper Stages.
On 24 April 1996, the US Air Force launched the MSX satellite on a Delta II launch vehicle from Vandenberg AFB, California. MSX was placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit at 898 km and an inclination of 99.16 degrees. MSX's mission was to gather data in three spectral bands (long wavelength infrared, visible, and ultraviolet).
The first use of IRST in an Eurasian country was the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, [8] which used the (TP-23ML) IRST; later versions used the (26SH1) IRST. [9] The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25PD was also equipped with a small IRST under the nose. [10] The Swedish Saab J-35F2 Draken (1965) also used an IRST, a Hughes Aircraft Company N71.
This can safely reduce airspace separation of aircraft. GPS aircraft tracking also enables airlines to track their fleet of aircraft over the ACARS system, and allows aircraft to be more easily located in the event of an accident. The data is processed to gather "OOOI" information about movements within the airport and to compute flight time ...
The first satellites were designed for the Space Development Agency and outfitted with advanced infrared sensors meant to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles. [13] In 2021, Starshield had entered a $1.8 billion classified contract with the U.S. government, revealed in 2023, [ 1 ] to construct hundreds of spy satellites for ...