-- The Danger Room
America has become so lousy at building spy satellites that "the United States is losing its preeminence in space," a Congressional intelligence report declares. What's worse, this decline comes as "emerging space powers such as Russia, India and China" are getting better and better at snooping from above.
The gloomy report, approved last Friday by the House's technical and tactical intelligence subcommittee, was originally obtained by CQ scoopster Tim Starks. "A once robust partnership between the U.S. Government and the American space industry has been weakened by years of demanding space programs, the exponential complexity of technology, and an inattention to acquisition discipline," the document states.
NASA's woes get most of the headlines — especially since the U.S. civilian space program may be forced to depend on Russia to get into orbit. But the American military space effort has been a wreck for quite some time, too. Misty, a super-secret satellite program had to be canceled last year. Since 1999, the military has spent nearly $10 billion to produce a set of so-called "Future Imagery Architecture" eyes in orbit. When they finally managed to launch one in 2006, it died in
America has become so lousy at building spy satellites that "the United States is losing its preeminence in space," a Congressional intelligence report declares. What's worse, this decline comes as "emerging space powers such as Russia, India and China" are getting better and better at snooping from above.
The gloomy report, approved last Friday by the House's technical and tactical intelligence subcommittee, was originally obtained by CQ scoopster Tim Starks. "A once robust partnership between the U.S. Government and the American space industry has been weakened by years of demanding space programs, the exponential complexity of technology, and an inattention to acquisition discipline," the document states.
NASA's woes get most of the headlines — especially since the U.S. civilian space program may be forced to depend on Russia to get into orbit. But the American military space effort has been a wreck for quite some time, too. Misty, a super-secret satellite program had to be canceled last year. Since 1999, the military has spent nearly $10 billion to produce a set of so-called "Future Imagery Architecture" eyes in orbit. When they finally managed to launch one in 2006, it died in
The gloomy report, approved last Friday by the House's technical and tactical intelligence subcommittee, was originally obtained by CQ scoopster Tim Starks. "A once robust partnership between the U.S. Government and the American space industry has been weakened by years of demanding space programs, the exponential complexity of technology, and an inattention to acquisition discipline," the document states.
NASA's woes get most of the headlines — especially since the U.S. civilian space program may be forced to depend on Russia to get into orbit. But the American military space effort has been a wreck for quite some time, too. Misty, a super-secret satellite program had to be canceled last year. Since 1999, the military has spent nearly $10 billion to produce a set of so-called "Future Imagery Architecture" eyes in orbit. When they finally managed to launch one in 2006, it died instantly — and then had to be shot down, before it plummeted to Earth. Earlier this year, the once-secretive, once-proud Pentagon agency that oversees spy satellites, the National Reconnaissance Agency, had some of its authority stripped away. More recently, a high-level military commission recommended shuttering the office entirely.
Read more ....
My Comment: No goals, no direction, no vision, no leadership. We are going to pay dearly for this in the future.
NASA's woes get most of the headlines — especially since the U.S. civilian space program may be forced to depend on Russia to get into orbit. But the American military space effort has been a wreck for quite some time, too. Misty, a super-secret satellite program had to be canceled last year. Since 1999, the military has spent nearly $10 billion to produce a set of so-called "Future Imagery Architecture" eyes in orbit. When they finally managed to launch one in 2006, it died instantly — and then had to be shot down, before it plummeted to Earth. Earlier this year, the once-secretive, once-proud Pentagon agency that oversees spy satellites, the National Reconnaissance Agency, had some of its authority stripped away. More recently, a high-level military commission recommended shuttering the office entirely.
Read more ....
My Comment: No goals, no direction, no vision, no leadership. We are going to pay dearly for this in the future.