SBIRS-High Satellite Suffers Additional Schedule Delays

A sensor intended for use in the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High satellite constellation, a planned component of the U.S. missile defense system, has suffered schedule delays, the U.S. Defense Department said last week in a report to Congress (see GSN, Sept. 19).

The Pentagon said the delivery of the SBIRS-High Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) Sensor 1 payload suffered a nine-month delay, from May of this year to February 2004, according to Inside Missile Defense. That delay resulted in the Air Force pushing back the schedule for the sensor’s certification from November 2004 to September 2005. In addition, the Pentagon also said that launch delays have contributed to the scheduling delays.

In its report to Congress, the Pentagon said that the schedule changes had not affected the SBIRS-High program’s overall cost, which is currently estimated at $8.6 billion, Inside Missile Defense reported (Thomas Duffy, Inside Missile Defense, Nov. 26).

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