On National Security | As it plans LEO constellations, DoD must prepare to deal with congestion

[Elderberry]

Space News by  Sandra Erwin — June 16, 2019

The buzzword in military space these days is “proliferated LEO,” which is Pentagon-speak for large numbers of small satellites in low Earth orbit.

The first project of the newly created Space Development Agency will be to design a proliferated LEO architecture and figure out how it can support military activities in space such as missile detection, communications and global navigation. SDA Director Fred Kennedy believes that within a few years, DoD will be able to shift some capabilities from large spacecraft in higher orbits to small satellites closer to Earth.

Now we’re hearing that the National Reconnaissance Office is likewise ready to jump on the LEO bandwagon to take advantage of lower cost satellites and cheaper launch services. With a proliferated constellation of dozens of spacecraft, the government can take more risks, says Troy Meink, director of NRO’s geospatial intelligence directorate. “You can have a higher failure rate and be able to deal with that. Losing two out of 10 is not as bad as losing one of two.”

With the benefits of LEO come concerns, however. One is the growing congestion and danger of not knowing exactly what is up there.

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