Air Force space officials and their industry partners have successfully completed the critical design review for the third and fourth Space Based Infrared Systems geosynchronous satellites. This means that the Air Force has approved the design of GEO-3/GEO-4 and that prime contractor Lockheed Martin may begin transitioning its work on these two satellites to production. “We are ready to start producing the next set of satellites,” said Col Scott Larrimore, SBIRS Space Group commander at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. GEO-3 and GEO-4 will be “near clones” of the first two SBIRS satellites, GEO-1 and GEO-2, which are not yet on orbit. There will be minor changes, such as a different star tracker and components to replace now-obsolete parts in the GEO-1/GEO-2 design. The launch of GEO-3 is anticipated in late 2014. The CDR for the GEO-3/GEO-4 payloads took place last November. (Los Angeles release)
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.