Aviation Week Confirms That Satellites May Have a Gap in Coverage for U.S. Defense

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Aviation Week reported yesterday that there may be a gap in the satellite coverage for the defense of the United States:

U.S. Satellite Coverage Gaps Loom

Nov 10, 2009

Amy Butler/Omaha, Neb.

The leader of U.S. Strategic Command says so few satellites are in queue now for launch for critical missions–such as weather observation satcom or ballistic missile warning–that there is a risk of service gaps that could impede the military’s ability to do its job.

Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton’s concern about a launch disaster is strong enough that he says he is willing to give up investing in improvements for spacecraft in favor of simply rebuilding a small stockpile of backups. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/RISK111009.xml&headline=U.S.%20Satellite%20Coverage%20Gaps%20Loom

To summarize, the above report says that the USA is currently having problems with its missile warning system, that it has no back-up replacements waiting, that something may be launched in about a year, but that another new untested part of the system will start to be launched in 2012.

However, the report neglected to mention that other reports have warned that the existing satellites are expected to have even more failures, replacement units may have technical problems, and that there simply are not enough planned satellites in production to meet the likely gap. It has been suggested that the U.S. would possibly need to rely on Europe’s system for a while next decade–a dangerous option at best.

Regular readers of the COGwriter page are aware that the Europeans intend to have their own “GPS” system called Galileo operational in 2013. They are also aware that I have been warning people that the U.S. would likely have a gap in its satellite defense systems about the time that Galileo becomes operational.

Those who have read chapter 5 of my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect have seen the danger that this and other developments portend for the U.S.A. next decade. The satellite gap is more serious than almost everyone realizes. The U.S.A. is on a collision course for disaster.