Defense Support Program
Encyclopedia
The Defense Support Program (DSP) is a program of the U.S. Air Force that operates the reconnaissance satellites which form the principal component of the Satellite Early Warning System currently used by the United States
.
DSP satellites, which are operated by the Air Force Space Command
, detect missile
or spacecraft
launches and nuclear
explosions using sensors that detect the infrared
emissions from these intense sources of heat. During Desert Storm, for example, DSP was able to detect the launches of Iraqi Scud
missiles and provide timely warnings to civilians and military forces in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The satellites are in geostationary orbit
s, and are equipped with infrared sensors operating through a wide-angle Schmidt camera
. The entire satellite spins so that the linear sensor array in the focal plane scans over the earth six times every minute.
Typically, DSP satellites were launched on Titan IVB
boosters with Inertial Upper Stage
s. However, one DSP satellite was launched using the Space Shuttle
Atlantis
on mission STS-44
(November 24, 1991).
The last one (flight 23) was launched in 2007 aboard the first operational flight of the Delta IV Heavy
rocket, as the Titan IV had been retired in 2005. All 23 satellites were built by prime contractor Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
, formerly TRW
, in Redondo Beach, CA.
The 460th Space Wing
, with headquarters at Buckley Air Force Base
, Colo., has units that operate DSP satellites and report warning information, via communications links, to the NORAD
and USSTRATCOM
early warning centers within Cheyenne Mountain
, Colorado. These centers immediately forward data to various agencies and areas of operations around the world.
Air Force Space Command
's SBIRS Wing at the Space and Missile Systems Center
, Los Angeles AFB, California is responsible for development and acquisition of the satellites.
(MiDAS). The first successful launch of MiDAS was May 24, 1960 and there were twelve launches before the DSP program replaced it in 1966.
The first launch of a DSP satellite was on 6 November 1970 and since then it has become the mainstay of the United States ballistic missile early warning system. For the last 40 years they have provided an uninterrupted space-based early warning capability. The original DSP satellite weighed 2,000 pounds (900 kg) and had 400 watts of power, 2,000 detectors and a design life of 1.25 years.
Throughout the life of the program, the satellite design has undergone numerous improvements to enhance reliability and capability. The weight grew to 5,250 pounds (2,380 kg), the power to 1,275 watts, the number of detectors increased threefold to 6,000 and the design life has been increased to a goal of five years.
The numerous improvement projects have enabled DSP to provide accurate, reliable data in the face of evolving missile threats. On-station sensor reliability has provided uninterrupted service well past their design lifetime. Recent technological improvements in sensor design include above-the-horizon capability and improved resolution. Increased on-board signal-processing capability improves clutter rejection. Enhanced reliability and survivability improvements were also incorporated.
The 23rd, and last DSP satellite was scheduled to be launched on April 1, 2007, aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket
, but the launch was postponed until mid-August 2007 after two structural cracks were found in the metal launch table at pad 37B, caused by a fuel leak during testing.
Further delays forced the launch back to November 11, 2007, when the satellite launched at 01:50:00 GMT (20:50 EST on 10 November). This satellite died in space sometime during 2008, for reasons unknown. It is now adrift in geosynchronous orbit and remains a potential hazard to other craft. The Department Of Defense sent a MiTEx
spacecraft to inspect DSP 23 sometime in 2008.
Another DSP satellite was lost in 1999, after its Inertial Upper Stage failed following launch from a Titan 4 booster.
DSP satellites will be replaced by the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites. The project was originally to have had a life of 25 satellites, but the last two have been canceled, mainly due to SBIRS.
There were five major improvement programs prior to the current block:
More recently, there has been some effort put into using DSPs' infrared sensors as part of an early warning system for natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and forest fires.
Image:2d Space Warning Squadron.PNG|2d Space Warning Squadron
Image:8th Space Warning Squadron.png|8th Space Warning Squadron
Image:11th Space Warning Squadron.PNG|11th Space Warning Squadron
Image:DSP Flight 1.png|DSP Flight 1
Image:DSP Flight 2.png|DSP Flight 2
Image:DSP Flight 3.png|DSP Flight 3
Image:DSP Flight 4.png|DSP Flight 4
Image:DSP Flight 5.png|DSP Flight 5
Image:DSP Flight 7.png|DSP Flight 7
Image:DSP Flight 8.png|DSP Flight 8
Image:DSP Flight 9.png|DSP Flight 9
Image:DSP Flight 10.png|DSP Flight 10
Image:DSP Flight 13.png|DSP Flight 13
Image:DSP Flight 14.png|DSP Flight 14
Image:DSP Flight 15.png|DSP Flight 15
Image:DSP Flight 16.png|DSP Flight 16
Image:DSP Flight 17.png|DSP Flight 17
Image:DSP Flight 18.png|DSP Flight 18
Image:DSP Flight 1 Launch 6 Nov 1970.png|DSP F1 Launch 6 Nov 1970
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
DSP satellites, which are operated by the Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
, detect missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
or spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
launches and nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
explosions using sensors that detect the infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
emissions from these intense sources of heat. During Desert Storm, for example, DSP was able to detect the launches of Iraqi Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
missiles and provide timely warnings to civilians and military forces in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The satellites are in geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
s, and are equipped with infrared sensors operating through a wide-angle Schmidt camera
Schmidt camera
A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....
. The entire satellite spins so that the linear sensor array in the focal plane scans over the earth six times every minute.
Typically, DSP satellites were launched on Titan IVB
Titan IV
The Titan IV family of space boosters were used by the U.S. Air Force. They were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. At the time of its introduction, the Titan IV was the "largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force."The...
boosters with Inertial Upper Stage
Inertial Upper Stage
The Inertial Upper Stage , originally known as the Interim Upper Stage, is a two-stage solid-fueled booster rocket developed by the U.S...
s. However, one DSP satellite was launched using the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States...
on mission STS-44
STS-44
-Mission parameters:**Launch: **Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 91.9 minutes-Mission highlights:The launch was on 24 November 1991 at 6:44:00 pm EST...
(November 24, 1991).
The last one (flight 23) was launched in 2007 aboard the first operational flight of the Delta IV Heavy
Delta IV rocket
Delta IV is an active expendable launch system in the Delta rocket family. Delta IV uses rockets designed by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in the United Launch Alliance facility in Decatur, Alabama. Final assembly is completed at the launch site by ULA...
rocket, as the Titan IV had been retired in 2005. All 23 satellites were built by prime contractor Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
, formerly TRW
TRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
, in Redondo Beach, CA.
The 460th Space Wing
460th Space Wing
The 460th Space Wing is located at Buckley Air Force Base, east of Aurora, Colorado. Since the 460th was redesignated on 1 October 2004, the wing has delivered global infrared surveillance, provided worldwide missile warning and tracking for homeland defense purposes, and provided expeditionary...
, with headquarters at Buckley Air Force Base
Buckley Air Force Base
Buckley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado, that was established by the U.S. Army in 1943. The base was named in honor of the World War I Army pilot 1LT John Harold Buckley.-Overview:...
, Colo., has units that operate DSP satellites and report warning information, via communications links, to the NORAD
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
and USSTRATCOM
United States Strategic Command
United States Strategic Command is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States Department of Defense . The Command, including components, employs more than 2,700 people, representing all four services, including DoD civilians and contractors, who oversee the command's operationally...
early warning centers within Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain is a mountain located just outside the southwest side of Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center .Throughout the Cold War and...
, Colorado. These centers immediately forward data to various agencies and areas of operations around the world.
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
's SBIRS Wing at the Space and Missile Systems Center
Space and Missile Systems Center
The Space and Missile Systems Center is a part of Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force. SMC is the Air Force’s product center for the development and acquisition of space and missile systems...
, Los Angeles AFB, California is responsible for development and acquisition of the satellites.
History
The Defense Support Program replaced the 1960s space-based infrared Missile Defense Alarm SystemMissile Defense Alarm System
The Missile Defense Alarm System was an American system of 12 early-warning satellites that provided limited notice of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile launches between 1960 and 1966...
(MiDAS). The first successful launch of MiDAS was May 24, 1960 and there were twelve launches before the DSP program replaced it in 1966.
The first launch of a DSP satellite was on 6 November 1970 and since then it has become the mainstay of the United States ballistic missile early warning system. For the last 40 years they have provided an uninterrupted space-based early warning capability. The original DSP satellite weighed 2,000 pounds (900 kg) and had 400 watts of power, 2,000 detectors and a design life of 1.25 years.
Throughout the life of the program, the satellite design has undergone numerous improvements to enhance reliability and capability. The weight grew to 5,250 pounds (2,380 kg), the power to 1,275 watts, the number of detectors increased threefold to 6,000 and the design life has been increased to a goal of five years.
The 23rd, and last DSP satellite was scheduled to be launched on April 1, 2007, aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket
Delta IV rocket
Delta IV is an active expendable launch system in the Delta rocket family. Delta IV uses rockets designed by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in the United Launch Alliance facility in Decatur, Alabama. Final assembly is completed at the launch site by ULA...
, but the launch was postponed until mid-August 2007 after two structural cracks were found in the metal launch table at pad 37B, caused by a fuel leak during testing.
Further delays forced the launch back to November 11, 2007, when the satellite launched at 01:50:00 GMT (20:50 EST on 10 November). This satellite died in space sometime during 2008, for reasons unknown. It is now adrift in geosynchronous orbit and remains a potential hazard to other craft. The Department Of Defense sent a MiTEx
MiTEx
The Micro-satellite Technology Experiment is a microsatellite-based mission launched into geosynchronous orbit June 21, 2006 aboard a Delta II rocket. The US Air Force described the mission as a "technology demonstration" for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency , the U.S. Air Force and...
spacecraft to inspect DSP 23 sometime in 2008.
Another DSP satellite was lost in 1999, after its Inertial Upper Stage failed following launch from a Titan 4 booster.
DSP satellites will be replaced by the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites. The project was originally to have had a life of 25 satellites, but the last two have been canceled, mainly due to SBIRS.
There were five major improvement programs prior to the current block:
- Block 1: Phase I, 1970–1973, 4 satellites
- Block 2: Phase II, 1975–1977, 3 satellites
- Block 3: Multi-Orbit Satellite Performance Improvement Modification (MOS/PIM), 1979–1984, 4 satellites
- Block 4: Phase II Upgrade, 1984–1987, 2 satellites
- Block 5: DSP-I (DSP-Improved), 1989
More recently, there has been some effort put into using DSPs' infrared sensors as part of an early warning system for natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and forest fires.
Limitations
The DSP constellation may have offered an excellent vantage point for an early warning system against state-centric threats such as missiles, but military analysts warn its ability to collect intelligence on non-state actors is severely limited.General characteristics
- Primary mission: Strategic and tactical missile launch detection
- Contractor team: Northrop Grumman Aerospace SystemsNorthrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
, formerly TRWTRWTRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
(for satellite bus) and Northrop Grumman Electronic SystemsNorthrop Grumman Electronic Systems' was created by Northrop Grumman's acquisition of Westinghouse Electronic Systems Group in 1996. The Electronic Systems sector is a leading designer, developer, and manufacturer of a wide variety of advanced defense electronics and systems. The division has 120 locations worldwide, including 72...
, formerly Aerojet Electronics SystemsAerojetAerojet is an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, Gainesville and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet is owned by GenCorp. They are the only US propulsion company that provides both solid rocket...
(for IR sensor) - Weight: 5,250 lb (2,380 kg)
- Orbit altitude: 22,000 miles (35,900 km)
- Power plant: Solar arrays generate 1,485 watts
- Height: 32.8 ft (10 m) on orbit; 28 ft (8.5 m) at launch
- Diameter: 22 ft (6.7 m) on orbit; 13.7 ft (4.2 m) at launch
- Date first deployed: 1970
- Latest Satellite Block: Sats 18-23
- Unit Cost: $400 million
Source
Some of the information in this article is taken from the Fact Sheet published by Air Force Space Command, Public Affairs Office; 150 Vandenburg St., Suite 1105; Peterson AFB, CO, April 2004Photo gallery
Image:2d Space Warning Squadron.PNG|2d Space Warning Squadron
2d Space Warning Squadron
The 2d Space Warning Squadron Is part of the 460th Space Wing at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. It operates the Space-Based Infrared System satellites conducting global monitoring for significant infrared events.-Mission:...
Image:8th Space Warning Squadron.png|8th Space Warning Squadron
8th Space Warning Squadron
The United States Air Force's 8th Space Warning Squadron is an Air Force Reserve missile warning unit located at Buckley AFB, Colorado...
Image:11th Space Warning Squadron.PNG|11th Space Warning Squadron
11th Space Warning Squadron
The 11th Space Warning Squadron is a United States Air Force missile warning squadron, located at Schriever AFB, Colorado.-Mission:The mission of the 11th SWS is to provide "assured" theater missile warning to warfighters worldwide.-History:...
Image:DSP Flight 1.png|DSP Flight 1
Image:DSP Flight 2.png|DSP Flight 2
Image:DSP Flight 3.png|DSP Flight 3
Image:DSP Flight 4.png|DSP Flight 4
Image:DSP Flight 5.png|DSP Flight 5
Image:DSP Flight 7.png|DSP Flight 7
Image:DSP Flight 8.png|DSP Flight 8
Image:DSP Flight 9.png|DSP Flight 9
Image:DSP Flight 10.png|DSP Flight 10
Image:DSP Flight 13.png|DSP Flight 13
Image:DSP Flight 14.png|DSP Flight 14
Image:DSP Flight 15.png|DSP Flight 15
Image:DSP Flight 16.png|DSP Flight 16
Image:DSP Flight 17.png|DSP Flight 17
Image:DSP Flight 18.png|DSP Flight 18
Image:DSP Flight 1 Launch 6 Nov 1970.png|DSP F1 Launch 6 Nov 1970