The Pentagon’s operationally responsive space office at Kirtland AFB, N.M., wants to co-locate a rapid small-satellite assembly facility dubbed the “Chile Works” on the base. This center would support the ORS goal of being able to develop, deliver, and deploy new space assets within days or months to address a combatant commander’s call for additional orbital communications and intelligence-gathering capability during a conflict or crisis. To support the Chile Works, the ORS office is looking for a contractor to perform services in three areas: systems engineering and integration; integrated logistics support; and assembly, integration and, test, according to a Federal Business Opportunities notice last month. The office plans to host an industry day next week in Albuquerque. (For more on ORS, read the AFPS report by Army SSgt. Michael Carden)
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.