The U.S. Is Racing to Multiply Its Missile Warning Satellites as China and Russia Threats Grow | WSJ

The Wall Street Journal
29 Jan 202404:58
EducationalLearning
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TLDRU.S. troops in the Middle East face attacks from Iran-backed groups, but space technologies give them a critical advantage - missile warnings from SBIRS satellites detect heat and motion from missile launches. SBIRS alerts troops to take cover and cues missile defenses, potentially saving lives. However, with only a few satellites, SBIRS is vulnerable. The Space Force aims to upgrade this capability with a 'proliferated constellation' across orbits to improve resilience against adversaries like China and Russia.

Takeaways
  • 😀 U.S. troops in the Middle East face attacks from Iran-backed groups, but have the advantage of missile warning from space
  • 👁️‍🗨️ The Space Force provides crucial missile launch warnings to troops from sensor satellites that detect heat signatures
  • 🔥 The missile warning system, known as SBIRS, includes satellites in various orbits to provide global persistent infrared coverage
  • 🛡️ SBIRS alerts troops to incoming missile attacks, allowing them time to take cover and cueing missile defenses
  • 💥 SBIRS likely detecting many recent Middle East missile launches and determining launch points to support counterattacks
  • 🌍 While the U.S. currently has an edge in space, Russia and China aim to match and counter U.S. missile warning capabilities
  • 📉 SBIRS has vulnerabilities due to few satellites that are easy targets, motivating upgrades to a more resilient architecture
  • ☄️ The next generation missile warning system will have many satellites across low, medium and high orbits for better coverage
  • 🪂Proliferated satellites across layers of orbits are harder for adversaries to disrupt than current SBIRS satellites
  • ⚖️ The Space Force was created to operate missile warning and other complex space systems and deny adversaries from disrupting them
Q & A

  • What technology does the U.S. military use to detect missile launches?

    -The military uses a constellation of satellites called the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) to detect missile launches by scanning for infrared heat signatures.

  • How does SBIRS help protect U.S. troops in the Middle East?

    -SBIRS can detect missile launches early and determine their trajectories, allowing troops time to take cover. It also cues missile defense systems to respond.

  • What are some of the components of the SBIRS system?

    -SBIRS includes satellites in highly elliptical and geosynchronous orbits equipped with scanners and starers to monitor the Earth continuously. It also incorporates older DSP satellites.

  • Why is upgrading the SBIRS architecture a priority?

    -SBIRS currently relies on only a few highly valuable satellites which makes them vulnerable. A new proliferated constellation across multiple orbits would be more resilient.

  • How did SBIRS help during an Iranian missile attack in 2020?

    -Early warning from SBIRS gave U.S. troops in Iraq enough time to take shelter, saving lives when Iran launched missiles at them.

  • How can SBIRS data help identify sources of attacks on U.S. forces?

    -In addition to detecting launches, SBIRS provides information to help geolocate launch sites and identify the types of missiles, aiding counterattacks.

  • Why is space situational awareness so important for the military?

    -Awareness of activities in space allows the military to operate systems safely while denying adversaries the ability to disrupt capabilities.

  • What are some ways adversaries are trying to counter U.S. space assets?

    -Adversaries like Russia and China are working to match U.S. space capabilities and develop ways to disable or destroy key satellites.

  • What does the term 'global persistent coverage' mean?

    -It refers to SBIRS and other satellites working together to continuously monitor missile activity across the entire globe.

  • What is the Space Force's role regarding space systems like SBIRS?

    -The Space Force was created to operate and protect vital space systems like SBIRS and develop new resilient satellite architectures.

Outlines
00:00
😮 U.S. missile warning satellites help protect troops in Middle East

Paragraph 1 discusses how U.S. space technologies, specifically the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites, provide missile warnings to troops in the Middle East, detecting launches from thousands of miles away. It explains how this allows the military to warn troops of incoming missiles and pinpoint launch locations to help keep people safe.

🛰 How the SBIRS missile warning system works

Paragraph 2 provides an overview of how the SBIRS missile warning system works - it uses sensors in various orbits to continuously monitor for infrared heat signatures that indicate missile launches. It can detect the location and trajectory of launches and cue missile defense systems. The system includes legacy DSP satellites.

😥 SBIRS provides critical, but vulnerable capability

Paragraph 3 discusses the value of SBIRS in protecting troops by providing launch warnings and impact predictions, but notes it has vulnerabilities due to the small number of satellites which are attractive targets. This is why the Space Force aims to upgrade to a more resilient proliferated architecture across multiple orbits.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡missile warning
Missile warning refers to detecting and tracking missile launches, especially incoming missiles. It is invaluable for military forces as it allows them to take defensive measures to protect troops and assets. The video discusses space systems like SBIRS that provide missile warning by detecting a missile's hot exhaust plume with infrared sensors shortly after launch. Missile warning gives troops the critical minutes to take cover or activate defense systems before an attack lands.
💡SBIRS
SBIRS stands for Space Based Infrared System. It is a satellite system operated by the U.S. Space Force that provides global missile warning coverage among other capabilities. SBIRS includes satellites in different orbits equipped with infrared sensors that can detect heat signatures like missile launches. It plays a vital role in missile defense by detecting launches early and determining impact locations and potential targets.
💡infrared signature
An infrared signature refers to the unique heat pattern emitted by an object or event that can be detected using infrared sensors. SBIRS satellites look for infrared signatures of missile launches, tracking the intense heat plume given off by a rocket's exhaust. Detecting these moving infrared signatures allows SBIRS to identify missile launches and trajectories for missile warning and defense.
💡missile defense
Missile defense encompasses systems and capabilities for defending against incoming missile attacks. Missile warning capabilities like SBIRS are crucial for enabling effective missile defense by detecting launches early and providing key information like origin, trajectory, and potential targets. This allows land and sea-based missile interceptors and other defensive measures to be activated and oriented in preparation to counter missile threats.
💡proliferated constellation
A proliferated satellite constellation refers to a large number of satellites distributed across multiple orbital planes and different orbits like LEO, MEO and GEO. The video mentions the Space Force looking to upgrade SBIRS into a more resilient proliferated constellation architecture that is harder to disrupt than the current small system.
💡global persistent coverage
This refers to continuous worldwide monitoring capabilities provided by satellite systems like SBIRS. The combination and overlap of sensors in different orbits achieves global persistent infrared coverage to detect events like missile launches anywhere in the world.
💡missile launch
Detecting and tracking missile launches using space-based sensors is a major application of systems like SBIRS. Timely and accurate detection of the infrared signatures produced by missile launches allows for critical missile warning that gives military forces and potential targets the minutes of warning needed to react.
💡space resilience
Space resilience refers to the ability of space systems and architectures to perform reliably despite disruptions or attacks. The video discusses how proliferated low-Earth orbit satellite constellations are more resilient than the current SBIRS system comprising just a few GEO satellites which could be easily disrupted by adversaries.
💡space capabilities
Space capabilities refer to the functions, services and advantages enabled by space-based military assets. The video examines missile warning provided by SBIRS as one of many vital space capabilities leveraged by the Space Force to support and protect military troops and operations around the world.
💡missile trajectories
Missile trajectories refer to the flight path and predicted impact point of launched missiles. SBIRS and other infrared detection satellites can determine key details about missile trajectories shortly after launch, providing valuable information to defensive systems and potential targets in the missiles' path.
Highlights

Space Force satellites provide crucial missile warnings to U.S. troops

Sensors detect missile launches from tens of thousands of miles above Earth

Missile warning capabilities help keep U.S. troops safe

SBIRS system includes sensors in various orbits to monitor for missile launches

SBIRS cues other missile defense systems when threats detected

SBIRS has provided advance warning to troops during past attacks

SBIRS likely providing warnings about current attacks on U.S. troops

SBIRS helps determine source of attacks on U.S. forces

Russia and China working to match U.S. space capabilities

SBIRS considered vulnerable with few satellites

Upgrading to more resilient architecture with many satellites

New system will have satellites across orbits for redundancy

Proliferated satellites harder for adversaries to disrupt

Next generation has array of missions across orbits

Space Force created to operate complex future systems

Transcripts

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