SBIRS Low, Alive and Well

SBIRS Low, Alive and Well: The Pentagon plan to “rebaseline” the Space Surveillance and Tracking System, which is the current name for the SBIRS-Low constellation destined to support missile warning, should have “minimal effect” on the 2006 program, according to the Missile Defense Agency. MDA funding in 2005 and 2006 was short, prompting a shift in the “sequence for the remaining work” on the program’s two spacecraft. Currently MDA sees no change for the second quarter Fiscal 2007 launch date but said, if there is a delay, it would be about 30-60 days—keeping the program well within the contracted launch date of July 2007.