Air Force space officials and their industry partners have successfully completed the critical design review for the third and fourth Space Based Infrared Systems geosynchronous satellites. This means that the Air Force has approved the design of GEO-3/GEO-4 and that prime contractor Lockheed Martin may begin transitioning its work on these two satellites to production. “We are ready to start producing the next set of satellites,” said Col Scott Larrimore, SBIRS Space Group commander at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. GEO-3 and GEO-4 will be “near clones” of the first two SBIRS satellites, GEO-1 and GEO-2, which are not yet on orbit. There will be minor changes, such as a different star tracker and components to replace now-obsolete parts in the GEO-1/GEO-2 design. The launch of GEO-3 is anticipated in late 2014. The CDR for the GEO-3/GEO-4 payloads took place last November. (Los Angeles release)
Members of Congress from both parties expressed frustration and dismay over the abrupt and still-unexplained firing last month of Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh from his dual role as head of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency.