CHIRP, the Air Force’s wide-field-of-view infrared sensor experiment, is one step closer to its anticipated launch next year. The SAIC-developed sensor has been delivered to Virginia-based satellite manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation for electrical interface testing and eventual integration with SES-2, its host satellite, according to an SES World Skies release. SES-2 is currently in production. “Wide field of view sensors improve detection and collection by continuously staring over a wide area of interest, which is key for meeting future [overhead persistent infrared] requirements,” said Maj. Craig Phillips, USAF’s program manager for CHIRP. Air Force officials say CHIRP will be used on orbit to evaluate future space-based IR technologies. The launch of SES-2 is expected to occur in the second half of 2011. CHIRP stands for commercial hosted infrared payload.
The Senate Armed Services Committee this week released the full text of its version of the 2026 defense policy bill—often referred to as the National Defense Authorization Act—that would allow the Air Force and Space Force to spend billions of dollars more than the services had sought for next year.