I’d guess that this means the FIA optical program is still several
years from getting back on track, if indeed it ever does. As likely a
possibility, IMO, is that the gap filler program will become the
baseline.
==========================
Ocean Recons Readied – NRO readies sea surveillance flight, optical
satellite procurement
Craig Covault/
AviationWeek.com
Sunday, April 29, 2007
[EXCERPT]
[Stuff about upcoming NOSS 3 launch deleted.]
At the same time that the NRO is readying the ocean surveillance
mission, the agency is also initiating a several hundred million-
dollar procurement for a new stopgap optical imaging system.
The new system is aimed at enabling the intelligence community to
recover from delays in the Future Imagining Architecture (FIA)
program, which has yet to launch an operational satellite.
The delays occurred because of poor Boeing performance in the optical
program that has now been given to Lockheed Martin. Boeing has
retained the imaging-radar half of the program (AW&ST Sept. 5, 2005,
p. 23).
The new spacecraft are especially needed to obtain imaging
intelligence of China, Iran and North Korea as older imaging
reconnaissance satellites expire. The competitors will likely be be
DigitalGlobe and GeoEye.
[The report mentioned is presumably H.R. 2082, the fiscal year 2008
Intelligence Authorization Act. The text does not seem to be available
just yet.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR200...
Intelligence Director Urged to Take Charge
House Committee Cites ‘Chronic Problems’
By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 11, 2007; Page A04
[EXCERPTS]
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence…
In a report released on the eve of a House vote on the roughly $48
billion intelligence authorization bill for fiscal 2008…
The committee report also criticizes progress being made on the future
architecture of the U.S. space intelligence satellites, saying a
problem has been "festering for some time" because of cost overruns
and delays in completing projects.
As a remedy, the panel added funds to bridge the gap between the new
and old generations of satellites in order to "prevent a future
capability gap." The bill would also grant new authority to
McConnell’s deputy director for science and technology to prioritize
research and development projects by intelligence agencies.