Boeing announced April 24 that it has completed hardware installation at the new satellite operations center that it is building for the Air Force’s Space Based Space Surveillance system, a satellite for monitoring orbital activities. The center now has the necessary security certification to allow the SBSS program to begin integrated testing, the company said. Boeing leads industry efforts to build the first SBSS satellite, which will dramatically improve the Air Force’s ability to track objects in space from space. The first SBSS satellite is slated for launch around spring 2009. The SOC is the operational command and control system for the SBSS mission. It will allow operators to conduct mission planning, command satellites, manage satellite health, and perform mission data processing. Boeing is developing the center with Harris Corp. and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.