[NYTr] Space "Defense" Program Gets Extra Funding

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

The Washington Post - Nov 12, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/11/AR2007111101173_pf.html

Space Defense Program Gets Extra Funding

By Walter Pincus

While wrestling with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is
preparing weapons to fight the next battle from space, according
to information in the 621-page, House-Senate conference report on
the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill.

The $459 billion bill, which awaits President Bush's signature,
provides $100 million for a new "prompt global strike" program that
could deliver a conventional, precision-guided warhead anywhere in
the world within two hours. It takes funds away from development
of a conventional warhead for the Navy's submarine-launched Trident
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and from an Air Force plan for
the Common Aero Vehicle.

The new program, dubbed Falcon, for "Force Application and Launch
from CONUS," centers on a small-launch-vehicle concept of the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The agency describes Falcon as a "a reusable Hypersonic Cruise
Vehicle (HCV) capable of delivering 12,000 pounds of payload at a
distance of 9,000 nautical miles from [the continental United States]
in less than two hours."

Hypersonic speed is far greater than the speed of sound. The reusable
vehicle being contemplated would "provide the country with significant
capability to conduct responsive missions with quick turn-around
sortie rates while providing aircraft-like operability and
mission-recall capability," according to DARPA.

The vehicle would be launched into space on a rocket, fly on its
own to a target, deliver its payload and return to Earth. In the
short term, a small launch rocket is being developed as part of
Falcon. It eventually would be able to boost the hypersonic vehicle
into space. But in the interim, it will be used to launch small
satellites within 48 hours' notice at a cost of less than $5 million
a shot.

Conferees added $100 million above the Bush administration's request
for nearly $200 million to accelerate "space situational awareness."
That is code for protecting U.S. satellites in space and being able to
attack the enemy's satellites.

"Enhancing these capabilities is critical, particularly following
the Chinese anti-satellite-weapons demonstration last January," the
conferees wrote in their report. They were referring to a Jan. 11
incident in which a Chinese guided missile destroyed an aging weather
satellite in orbit.

"Counterspace systems" that would warn of impending threats to U.S.
satellites, destroy or defend against attackers, and interrupt enemy
satellites are in the Bush budget for $53 million. Conferees gave
them another $10 million.

One research project of $7 million in that category is directed at
"offensive counterspace," described in the Pentagon's presentation
to Congress as designing "the means to disrupt, deny, degrade or
destroy an adversary's space systems, or the information they
provide."

Another $18 million would go for research into a second-generation
counter-satellite-communications system; it would explore and develop
capabilities "to provide disruption of satellite communications
signals in response to U.S. Strategic Command requirements," according
to the Pentagon congressional presentation.

The first-generation system is already operational, and an upgrade
of those capabilities is in production.

The conferees want to increase funds for the Rapid Identification
Detection and Reporting System, which already had $28 million in
the Bush budget. This system is designed to provide "attack detection,
threat identification and characterization, and support rapid mission
impact assessments on U.S. space systems."

Its first-generation system is scheduled for initial operation at
the end of next year, while the new funds will allow continuation
of research on a second generation, which began this year.

Part of the funding will also go toward work on integrating this
system, which detects enemy threats to U.S. satellites, with the
offensive counterspace and counter-satellite-communications programs.

Eventually, they would be linked with U.S. command-and-control
systems "in support of space control and the counterspace mission
areas," according to the Pentagon's presentation to Congress.

Integration of these developing counterspace missions with a current
command-and-control system is expected by the middle of 2008,
according to documents provided to Congress.