The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has announced plans to launch up to five satellites by fiscal 2009 in an effort to build a space-based missile interceptor test bed, Aerospace Daily reported today (see GSN, Dec. 20, 2002).

The test bed would be designed to shoot down missiles in their boost phase, according to the agency.

Officials plan to hold an industry briefing in December and contractors will be able to compete for a concept design in fiscal 2004, an agency official said yesterday.

The agency’s plans call for “small quantities” of satellites to be put into orbit every two to three years after the initial launching.  Currently, the agency does not plan to develop the space-based capability beyond the test bed stage.

Last week, MDA officials released a request for proposals to develop a ground-based boost-phase interceptor, Aerospace Daily reported.  The agency has said it will select a contractor to develop a prototype for the interceptor by the first quarter of fiscal 2004 and officials want a mobile ground-based capability by 2009 (Marc Selinger, Aerospace Daily, Jan. 22).

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