Rocket Blasts Off With Missile-Warning Satellite 60
fysdt sends this quote from a Reuters report:
"An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Saturday to put the first satellite of the Defense Department's new missile-warning system into orbit. Tucked inside the rocket's nosecone was the $1.3 billion Space-Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Geo-1 spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The satellite, the first of four scheduled for launch over the next five years, is intended to provide the US military with early notice of missile launches and other reconnaissance services. The $17.6 billion SBIRS constellation, which includes sensors on host satellites, will augment and eventually replace the military's Defense Support Program satellites, which have been operating since 1970. The satellites scour the planet for heat trails produced by flying rockets and missiles."
Re:Ready, set, go! (Score:2, Insightful)
I think you'll find - in this Military Industrial Complex age - it's as follows:
Define the steps (Profit)
Step 1: Put missile detectors in space (Profit)
Step 2: Put missiles in space. (Profit)
Step 3: ??? (Profit)
Step 4: Profit. (Profit)
Step 5. Overrun original budgets (Profit)
Re:1.3 Billion?... (Score:2, Insightful)
Not if you're protected by your trusty tin foil hat.
Re:It will be interesting (Score:2, Insightful)
It won't be affected by commercial launches, USAF and other intelligence agencies looking out for missile and rocket launches generally know where and when commercial and research launches are.
So if a rocket is launched from New Mexico or Kodiak or Baikonur, even in much higher volume, it's not going to cause trouble.
Now if a launch happens from Musudan-ri, its going to raise an alarm.