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Communications satellites aren’t the only constellations receiving upgrades. The entire Global Positioning System is also seeing some changes. Last month, the Air Force successfully launched the GPS Block II R-M satellite, which provides improved GPS capabilities. Each of these satellites is equipped with a modernized antenna panel that gives it boosted signal power for receivers on the ground, two new military signals for improved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities and a second civil signal that gives users an open access signal on a different frequency. “So these satellites don’t only improve our military capabili- ties, but they provide enhanced capabilities to civilian users, too,” Colonel Moody said. The missile defense satellite network is also being modernized to deal with newer threats. AFSPC-operated Defense Support Program satellites are a key part of North America’s early warning systems. In their 22,300-mile, geosynchronous orbits, DSP satellites help protect the United States and its allies by detecting missile launches, space launches and nuclear detonations. Yet, their technology is aging, having been around since the early 1970s, and missiles are smaller now, making them harder for DSP to see. “DSP has done its job tremendously over the past 35 years,” Colonel Moody said. “But we needed a new system that is able to detect new threats, which are smaller and don’t show up as easily on the current system.” The answer is SBIRS, the Space Based Infrared System, which is scheduled to come online in 2010. SBIRS will not only provide improved missile warning and missile defense capabilities, but the system will also support the technical intelligence and battle-space awareness mission areas. “This is one of Space Command’s highest priority space systems,” said Lt. Col. Michele Edmondson, commander of the 2nd Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. “And it’s really an effective system.” Whether its upgrading GPS, providing greater communica- tions capabilities or enhancing the nation’s ability to detect and warn of missile attacks, the Air Force is hard at work, making sure its satellite systems are not only functioning, but are doing so with the latest technology. Improvements are costly, but officials at Air Force Space Command say the capabilities space brings to the fight more than pay for themselves. “We are doing our best to support the joint warfighting community by offering all the capabilities space has to offer,” Colonel Moody said. “Space systems are not just enablers; they are actually force multipliers.” The capabilities these space systems bring are not going unnoticed, or unused. From combatant commanders to troops on the ground, space resources are being used on a daily basis in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. “The recognition of what space brings to the Air Force is becom- ing much more apparent across the board,” Colonel Moody said. “People in every service are also starting to recognize what space can bring to the fight.” In fact, space systems provide so many capabilities, they are often taken for granted. In 2002, Lt. Gen. Joseph M. Cosumano, then com- mander of the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, wrote an article titled, “A Day without Space” in which he detailed how reliant the U.S. military is on satellite technology and how important it is to military operations. “From a military perspective, a day without space would mean we have no effective long-haul communications, thus precluding direct command and control with our joint and coalition partners and ensuring a limited reach-back capability,” the general wrote. “Effective space control leads to space superiority, which, like air and information superiority, is critical to our success as a military force.” For this reason, it is important to both continue to provide the best space capabilities possible and protect these assets. Would-be adversaries know how the U.S. uses space in its warfighting capabilities, General Kehler said, and understand how challenging the Air Force on that front can provide a way to contend with American airpower. “Space used to be an uncontested domain,” Colonel Moody said. “But, as recent events show us, this is not the case anymore.” The colonel cited jamming attempts of American GPS by foreign governments, and the use of an anti-satellite weapon by the Chinese two years ago as examples of developing threats for which the U.S. must be prepared. “We’re constantly looking at ways to make our satellites more survivable,” he said, “like making them less susceptible to jamming or resisting things that may attempt to keep them from working effectively.” The Air Force has come far in the space arena, but the service is con- stantly looking at ways to improve or replace its existing space armada. “We are an air and space force,” Colonel Moody said. “Our goal is to have air and space superiority, which we do.” Staring through his ancient telescope, Galileo may have been wrong about his theories of planetary orbit, but one thing he did get right: The prospects space offers are thrilling. And, because of the efforts of people at Air Force Space Command, these prospects are being explored and made a reality – one twinkling, man-made “star” at a time. Martin Leahy performs voltage and continuity tests on a tactical satellite, known as Tactical Satellite-3, at the Space Vehicle Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The satellite is scheduled to be launched in October. Mr. Leahy is a field engineer with ATA Aerospace. ✪ May-June 2009 23