Pulling the Pieces Together at AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is chartered with developing innovative science and technologies to meet the future national security needs of the United States. To this end AFRL is aggressively pursuing the development of Responsive Space enabling technologies. The Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/VS) has made Responsive Space one of its six core thrusts. The objective of the Responsive Space thrust is to develop and demonstrate the technologies that will enable spacecraft with the following attributes: • Operational within six days of call-up • Low-cost (<$30M mission costs, including spacecraft, launch and operations) • Small (Total mass <500 kg) • Satellite payloads are taskable by theater commanders/forces with direct downlink/ data dissemination into theater assets • Tasking/data dissemination utilizing existing warfighting equipment & architectures • Missions tailored for a specific theater • Rapid, low-cost integration of new technologies and payloads In order to realize these objectives, AFRL is investing in a robust portfolio of science and technology. These technologies feed into a series of operational experiments with groundbased and space-based test beds. The portfolio direction and progress is continuously assessed and analyzed with extensive modeling and simulation analysis. Through these focused efforts AFRL is making great progress in achieving this transformational vision. The coming years will bring many more exciting advances. ____________________________________________ This paper is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Given the US military’s growing dependence on space-based capabilities and the increasing potential for adversaries to negate these advantages, the joint warfighter must have more flexibility to rapidly augment and/or reconstitute critical space capabilities. In 2001, the Rumsfeld Space Commission recognized this threat to our current space posture by warning: An attack on elements of U.S. space systems during a crisis or conflict should not be considered an improbable act. If the U.S. is to avoid a “Space Pearl Harbor” it needs to take seriously the possibility of an attack on U.S. space systems. The nation’s leaders must assure that the vulnerability of the United States is reduced and that the consequences of a surprise attack on U.S. space assets are limited in their effects. [Rumsfeld, 2001]. The January 2005 U.S. Space Transportation Policy goal is to “ensure the capability to access and use space in support of national and homeland security, civil, scientific, and economic interests.” To achieve this goal, the United States Government shall “demonstrate an initial capability for operationally responsive access to and use of space--providing capacity to respond to unexpected loss or degradation of selected capabilities, and/or to provide timely availability of tailored or new capabilities--to support national security requirements.” The policy directs “Before 2010, the United States shall demonstrate an initial capability for operationally responsive access to and use of space to support national security requirements.” OSD Space S&T Vector-2 The Department of Defense (DoD) has responded to this challenge by instituting four of DOD-wide Space Science and Technology plans.