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GAO flags risks in Space Development Agency’s missile-tracking satellite program
['Sandra Erwin', 'More Sandra Erwin']
SpaceNews
At the same time, GAO said the Pentagon lacks a reliable estimate of what the full missile warning and tracking architecture will cost over its lifetime.
As a result, GAO warned, SDA risks fielding satellites that do not meet operational needs.
In that earlier assessment, GAO said SDA moved forward without proving that intersatellite laser communications — essential for moving missile tracking data quickly across the constellation — worked as intended.
In the new report, GAO said SDA justified its technology readiness assessments by pointing to the availability of commercial products used in Tranche 1 and Tranche 2.
List of recommendationsGAO also found problems in the ground segment, which is responsible for processing and distributing missile tracking data.