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Space Warfighter Heritage: The First Space-Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Element Launched into Space

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Casey J. Waters, SpOC History Office
Today, the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is a vital missile defense system that routinely plays a pivotal role in protecting U.S. and allied forces abroad. In April 2020, it helped detect over a dozen Iranian ballistic missiles launched towards U.S. forces stationed at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. Most recently, on April 13th, 2024, it provided early warning of hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones launched at Israel. The rapid detection allowed U.S., Israeli, and other allied forces to track and intercept the threats. SBIRS and other early warning detection systems were able to track an unprecedented number of airborne threats that day, allowing U.S. and allied forces to intercept hundreds of missiles and drones before they reached Israel. In fact, ninety-eight percent of the weapons launched at Isreal were destroyed or harmlessly crash landed before they reached their intended targets. 
 
However, SBIRS is a relatively new system. On May 7th, 2011, the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing launched the first geosynchronous element (GEO-1) satellite of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) into orbit. SBIRS GEO-1 was launched into geostationary transfer orbit aboard an Atlas V booster from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Once in orbit, GEO-1 used its own Leros-1 apogee motor to reach geosynchronous orbit. Subsequent SBIRS GEO payloads were added to the system in 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022.  


The SBIRS GEO-1 launching aboard an Atlas V (Courtesy Photo from Pat Corkery from the United Launch Alliance)

The need for SBIRS was born from lessons-learned combating short-range theater missiles during the 1991 Gulf War. After contending with these short-notice threats, the Department of Defense identified a need to upgrade the nation’s Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites to provide more robust global early warning missile detection. DSP was deployed in 1970 with infrared detectors solely designed to sense long-range ballistic missile launches. As a follow-on program for DSP, engineers designed SBIRS to detect short-wave and mid-wave infrared signals. It incorporated sensors operating from Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO)-based satellites that allowed it to perform additional theater intelligence, strategic missile warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness, and technical intelligence missions. Today, the 2d Space Warning Squadron (SWS), operating from Buckley SFB, Colorado, and assigned to Mission Delta 4, controls the SBIRS satellite constellation to perform the global missile warning and tracking mission for the United States Space Force.

     
Artist’s depiction of SBIRS GEO-1 in orbit (Courtesy Photo from Lockheed Martin)


Illustration of the DSP and SBIRS architecture (Courtesy Photo from The Space Review)