Echo, NASA's first communications satellite, was a passive spacecraft based on a balloon design created by an engineer at the Langley Research Center. The Mylar satellite measured 100 feet in diameter and could be seen with the naked eye from the ground as it passed overhead. (Photograph by NASA)From Popular Mechanics:
As the administration dismantles its only backup system, the Air Force looks at replacements to guard against the Pentagon's over-reliance on GPS satellites.
Last week, the Air Force's Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, gave voice to a chink in the U.S. military's armor, one that many know about but few like to discuss in public: Without satellites, modern militaries lose most of their edge. "It seemed critical to me that the joint force reduce its dependence on GPS (Global Positioning System)," he told attendees at a national security conference in Washington.
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My Comment: I am surprised that the military is focusing on this weakness only now. One would think that with so much of our military dependent on such technologies, backups and alternative systems would have been developed and installed (a long time ago).
Indeed, it is interesting timing. One wonders that with the current budget woes and two wars, the current 'secure' GPS system could soldier on for a few more years. That the momentum for a GPS replacement is building (and becoming more public), may indicate a recognized need (threat?) to the current GPS constellation.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Marcase for your comment.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a recognized threat from countries like China and Russia who have the capability to disrupt GPS systems.
I expect more news and information to be released on this topic in the next year or two.