Whats the next generation of military space hardware?
The U.S. Air Force spends the most money on space ventures, and accordingly has billions worth of new hardware heading up there. At the top of the list is a program to detect missile launches, insisted deputy undersecretary of the Air Force Gary Payton. “No rocket takes off in the world without the Air Force knowing about it,” he said. It’s been this way since the 1970s, but the new wave of satellites will implement delicate infrared detectors that NASA currently uses for astronomy. Soon, these focal plane arrays will be adapted for missile detection. “We are negotiating to fly an example of this new technology on a ride share with commercial geosynchronous spacecraft,” Payton said. The sats themselves will be designed over the next two years. Payton noted that other sectors of the military are seeing renewed attention as well. “If there’s a growth market, it’s space situational awareness and space protection,” he said. So you can expect new ground and space sensors that monitor threat
