The Air Force’s Space Based Infrared Systems Wing says it has successfully completed the 20-month development of the flight software subsystem (FSS) for the first space based infrared system early warning satellite, GEO-1. In a release Monday, the wing said FSS version 1.5 was finished July 29 at the site of prime contractor Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif., and represented “a major milestone” for the SBIRS program. “Integration and spacecraft testing to date have demonstrated the software to be very stable and of extremely high quality,” said Lt. Col. Heath Collins, commander of the SBIRS Space Squadron, a part of the wing. The FSS will operate, control, and monitor GEO-1’s health, status, and safety. It will also perform functions such as telemetry, thermal control, power management, and fault detection and recovery activities. The software will now undergo qualification testing in preparation for the final system tests leading up to the delivery of GEO-1 for launch.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.