WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force and the Space Force are working with the National Reconnaissance Office to develop a dedicated constellation of sensor satellites specifically designed for Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI). This technology would replace the large radar surveillance aircraft like JSTARS previously used by the Air Force to track the movement of troops and vehicles on the ground.
At the same time, hundreds of commercial remote sensing satellites are orbiting the Earth, providing unprecedented imaging capabilities, leading industry executives to question whether the military should leverage these commercial systems for GMTI.
During a panel discussion March 20 at the Satellite 2024 conference, executives said the military’s interest in GMTI from space creates an opportunity for the Pentagon to capitalize on private investment in remote-sensing constellations.
They pointed out that while military systems optimized for persistent custody of specific targets will still be required, regularly updated commercial imagery could potentially handle general monitoring of areas of interest and tracking of slower-moving targets and patterns of life.
They argued that a hybrid approach leveraging commercial and dedicated military systems could provide a “best of both worlds” solution at a lower cost to taxpayers.
Monitoring not the same as staring
Jason Mallare, vice president of U.S. government programs and strategy at Umbra, said the company has been working with the Defense Advanced Projects Agency on satellite imaging techniques aimed at tracking moving targets.
Umbra builds and operates small satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar, a type of sensor that can create high-resolution images by processing radar signals.
Private industry has deployed cutting-edge imaging technology in space “even without a clear demand signal, without clear budgeting, or without a clear addressable market in the…
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