US launches satellite for early warning of global missile launches

The United States Space Force has just launched the last missile early warning satellite into space, completing the "Space-Based Infrared System".

According to CNN, at 6 a.m. on August 4, United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas 5 rocket from a launch site in Florida carrying the last rocket warning satellite of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) . The universe.

SBIRS system can cover the world 24/7

This is the sixth satellite of the SBIRS system, codenamed SBIRS-GEO-6 , which can detect ballistic missiles launched anywhere in the world.

The SBIRS system, designed by Lockheed Martin to replace aging Defense Support Program (DSP) early warning satellites, was first launched more than 50 years ago. Following the successful launch of SBIRS Geo-6 on Thursday, SBIRS will include three satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) and two additional classified satellites in surrounding high elliptical orbit (HEO). poles. The first satellite in SBIRS was launched in 2011 and the most recent is SBIRS Geo-5, which was launched into orbit aboard Atlas V in May 2021, also from the Cape Canaveral Space Station.

Compared with the previous generation missile early warning satellite, the scanning speed and sensitivity of SBIRS has increased by more than 10 times and the coverage area has been expanded by 2 times to 4 times. Early warning information is sent to the ground operations control system, while the previous "Defense Assistance Program" satellite system needs 60 to 90 seconds, greatly shortening the early warning time and giving the US military enough time to prepare for anti-missile combat, which improves intercept success rates.

CNN says the SBIRS system can provide 24/7 global coverage, track global missile launches and provide critical early warnings of possible threats to US warplanes. USA. For example, when Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases in January 2020, satellite systems issued last-minute warnings to US and allied forces. In 2019 alone, the system detected nearly 1,000 missile launches.